Indigo, Mumbai airport get Centre notice over passengers eating on tarmac after flight delay

Passengers were seen eating on the tarmac on Mumbai airport after flight delay. (Images: @ANI/X)

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued show-cause notices to IndiGo Airlines and the Mumbai Airport, demanding answers after a viral video depicted stranded passengers nonchalantly eating on the tarmac after their Delhi-bound flight was delayed by 12 hours. This delay was a result of severe flight disruptions at Delhi airport caused by dense fog.

Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, in a late-night meeting, expressed deep concerns and called for immediate action within the aviation sector on a day where a passenger slapped an IndiGo pilot over delay in a separate incident.

The government has demanded comprehensive responses from both IndiGo and Mumbai Airport by the end of the day. The viral images and videos, circulating on social media, showcased passengers sitting beside an aircraft, eating their meals amidst the chaos.

In a viral video, passengers of a Delhi-bound IndiGo flight diverted to Mumbai (confirmed by airport sources) due to operational issues are seen eating and sitting on the airport tarmac at Mumbai Airport.

(Screengrabs from viral video) pic.twitter.com/xNdiW7HqUv

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2024

Specific lapses were highlighted, including the assignment of a remote bay (C-33) instead of a Contact Stand, which is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated boarding gate.

passengers of IndiGo Goa-Delhi who after 12 hours delayed flight got diverted to Mumbai having dinner just next to indigo plane pic.twitter.com/jGL3N82LNS

—  (@baldwhiner) January 15, 2024

Scindia, addressing the intense fog-related delays at Delhi's IGI Airport over the past two days, announced that the ministry is taking steps to prevent such situations in the future.