IndiGo Airlines apologises after flight diverted to Mumbai; passengers sit on airport tarmac

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 15 (ANI): After a video went viral showing passengers sitting unfazed on the tarmac as the Indigo flight from Goa to Delhi was diverted to Mumbai, the airline on Monday issued a statement and apologised to the customers, assuring that it would take necessary steps to avoid any such instances in the future.
In a viral video, passengers of an IndiGo Goa-Delhi flight, which was diverted to Mumbai (confirmed by airport sources) due to operational issues, were seen eating and sitting on the airport tarmac at Mumbai Airport.
Referring to this, Indigo Airline said in an official statement, "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 we are currently looking into the incident. We will take the necessary steps to avoid any such instances in the future."
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport also issued a statement in connection to the incident and said that the passengers were kept under the strict watch of the airline authorities and security until further actions were taken.
"Indigo 6E 2195 (Goa to Delhi) was diverted due to unfavourable weather conditions. As the flight was already significantly delayed in Goa, passengers were irate and rushed out of the aircraft as soon as the step ladder was connected. The airport operators, in coordination with CISF QRT, cordoned off the passengers into a safety zone as passengers refused to get into the airline coach and proceed to the terminal building. Passengers were kept under the strict watch of the airline authorities and security until further action was taken," it said.
Meanwhile, low visibility and dense fog conditions across North India impacted IndiGo flight operations, causing inconvenience to passengers travelling by air on Sunday.
According to an official statement from IndiGo Airlines, "Due to the low visibility and dense fog conditions across North India, IndiGo flight operations were impacted on January 14, 2024. This had a cascading effect on our operations throughout the day. Our staff kept passengers apprised of all delays and cancellations across airports and made every possible effort to facilitate the passengers. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers."
The national capital shivered in the cold weather, with the minimum temperature recorded at Delhi's Safdarjung at 3.3 degrees Celsius on Monday morning.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), fog conditions observed (at 0830 hours IST of today): dense to very dense fog reported over isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar of Punjab; dense fog reported in some parts of Haryana and Chandigarh.
"Visibility was recorded as 'zero for the first time this winter season in Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, Patiala, Ambala, Chandigarh, Palam, Safdarjung (New Delhi), Bareilly, Lucknow, Bahraich, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Tezpur," it added. (ANI)