A passenger, Sonal Vij, who was on board the Delhi-Goa IndiGo 6E-2175 flight during an incident where a passenger slapped the pilot after a 10-hour delay, has detailed the mismanagement he observed on the part of the airline. While disapproving of violence, Vij expressed on X that IndiGo concealed their mismanagement and mistakes by focusing on the passenger’s actions.
Vij revealed that the flight, scheduled to depart from Delhi at 7:40 am on Sunday, eventually took off at 5:35 pm. Despite boarding completion by 12:40 pm, the flight doors remained open until 2:50 pm, with ground staff citing Air Traffic Control (ATC) congestion. However, Vij claimed that the pilot announced at 1:30 pm that they were waiting for a crew member, contradicting earlier information.
The crew’s unprofessionalism, prolonged conversations with ground staff, and the delay in readiness for take-off led to dissatisfaction among passengers. Food was only provided after 4 pm, raising concerns about IndiGo’s handling of the situation. Vij questioned whether authorities should investigate such unprofessional conduct and prevent future mismanagement.
.@DGCAIndia @MoCA_GoI @JM_Scindia @IndiGo6E I don’t support violence, but the airline took advantage and hid all their mismanagement and mistakes in lieu of what the passenger did. Below is a first-hand account of the incident. #DelhiAirport #Indigoairlines #Indigo pic.twitter.com/tNQBKQKwSi
— Sanal vij (@sonalchinioti) January 15, 2024
Another passenger, Evgenia Belskia, echoed Vij’s sentiments, emphasizing that the incident could have been avoided with better treatment from the airline crew. She accused the pilot of blaming passengers for questioning the 10-hour delay, highlighting the extended wait inside the aircraft. Sahil Kataria, the passenger who assaulted the pilot, was granted bail, and IndiGo formed an internal committee to address the incident, with the possibility of placing the passenger on the ‘no-fly’ list for unruly behavior.