'Diverted to Mumbai due to low visibility conditions in Delhi': IndiGo on viral video featuring passengers dining on airport tarmac

IndiGo on Tuesday issued a statement after a video showing passengers of the airline's Delhi-Goa flight having food on the tarmac since the flight was delayed and then diverted went viral on social media. Several users said that the flight was delayed by roughly 18 hours on January 14 before being diverted to Mumbai. 

In its statement, the airline attributed the delay to low visibility conditions in Delhi due to dense fog while apologising to the customers. The airline also said that necessary steps will be taken to avoid such incidents in the future.

"We are aware of the incident involving IndiGo flight 6E2195 from Goa to Delhi on January 14, 2024. The flight was diverted to Mumbai due to low visibility conditions in Delhi. We sincerely apologise to our customers and are currently looking into the incident. We will take necessary steps to avoid any such instances in the future," the airline said in a statement. 

In the now-viral video, some passengers can be seen having dinner on the tarmac while others can be seen scrolling through their phones as they await updates on the status of their flight. The flight was scheduled to take off at 09:15 am on Sunday but did not depart till evening and eventually landed in Mumbai at 05:12 am on Monday. 

After being severely criticised on social media over delays, the airline said in a statement that this was due to "operational reasons" that were beyond its control. "We regret this discomfort and assure you that it is never our intent to disrupt the travel plans of our flyers.  However, at times, due to certain operational reasons, such delays are beyond the control of the airline.  We look forward to your kind understanding," the airline said. 

This, however, is not the only time that the airline has come under fire for delays. A video of a passenger beating up a pilot of an IndiGo flight while he was announcing delays went viral on X within no time. The incident reportedly took place on Sunday at around 1 pm. 

When the matter became the talk of the town, IndiGo said in a statement that the passenger was declared unruly and handed over to the local law enforcement agencies for further action. "The incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the passenger on the 'no-fly list' as laid down in regulatory guidelines," the airline further said in the statement. 

Also Read: IndiGo passengers have food next to plane on runway after flight delayed for 18 hours, video goes viral