An IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Rajkot, 6E 6133, was delayed by nearly four hours on Wednesday morning. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 7.25 am, was first pushed to 7.55 am and then again to 8.40 am due to operational issues, passengers said.
Vijay Thakkar, travelling with his elderly father, uncle, wife, and eight-year-old daughter, said, “We boarded the flight at 6.45 am expecting to take off. When the first delay message came, it wasn’t a big deal, but the second message was frustrating, sitting inside the airplane for so long was irritating. The delay derailed our whole day’s plan.” Passengers were told that the pilot was late due to illness. Thakkar said, “It makes sense not to let a sick pilot fly. But shouldn’t there be additional pilots on call for such cases?”
Passenger Vijay Thakkar. Pic/By Special Arrangement
After repeated complaints, the crew allowed passengers to deplane, although they had to go through security again. The flight eventually departed at 11.03 am, but Thakkar and his family had already abandoned the journey. “The airline has initiated a refund for both our tickets, but the money spent on cab rides and other arrangements in Rajkot is lost,” he added, commenting on the airline’s mismanagement and lack of backup pilots. mid-day contacted IndiGo for a comment, but did not receive a response by press time. Information received by this newspaper suggests that the delay was caused by minor operational issues.
