CHENNAI: An IndiGo flight from Chennai to Singapore was delayed by more than four hours on Tuesday morning after an air-conditioning failure and the unavailability of a pilot left 198 passengers waiting inside the aircraft.
The flight was scheduled to depart from Chennai International Airport at 7.20 am on Feb 24. After all passengers had boarded and the aircraft was ready to taxi, the air-conditioning system reportedly stopped working, causing the cabin temperature to rise.
Passengers complained about the heat, and the pilot informed air traffic control about a technical issue. The aircraft was halted and its doors were opened. The pilot also informed passengers that his duty time had ended and another pilot would operate the flight after the issue was rectified.
Although the technical problem was fixed soon after, the flight could not depart immediately as no alternate pilot was available. Passengers continued to remain inside the aircraft.
At one point, the air-conditioning reportedly stopped functioning again. With no aerobridge or ladder positioned, passengers were unable to get down even though the doors were open.
Upset over the delay, passengers staged a sit-in protest inside the aircraft. CISF personnel were called and reportedly stopped passengers from deboarding without authorisation.
Among those onboard were 19 women travelling with infants and several senior citizens. Many complained of discomfort due to the long wait.
An alternate pilot arrived after 11 am, and the flight finally departed at around 11.40 am, over four hours behind schedule.
Passengers shared videos of the incident on social media, claiming that keeping travellers inside a stationary aircraft for more than two hours violates aviation norms.
Following the circulation of the videos, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry has reportedly ordered an inquiry. The incident caused commotion at the Chennai airport.