MUMBAI- Today (May 21, 2024), an IndiGo Airlines (6E) flight from Mumbai (BOM) to Varanasi (VNS) had to return to the aerobridge at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) after the crew noticed an overbooked passenger just before take-off.
The incident occurred at around 7:50 am when a crew member spotted a male passenger standing at the rear of the aircraft while flight 6E6543 was taxiing.
IndiGo Overbooked Flight
“The crew then alerted the pilot, and the flight had to return to the terminal,” said Sandeep Pandey, one of the passengers.
Airlines typically overbook flights to minimize the chance of departing with empty seats.
Another passenger, Akhilesh Chaubey, who was traveling to Varanasi for work, said, “The flight returned to the bay, and the passenger was offloaded. The airline then checked all passengers’ cabin baggage before taking off after a delay of at least an hour.”
According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft took off at 8:41 am.
Official Remarks
IndiGo Spokeperson said, “There was an error during the boarding process of flight 6E6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi, where a standby passenger was mistakenly assigned a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger. This error was identified before the aircraft departed, and the standby passenger was de-boarded, causing a slight delay in departure.”
“IndiGo will take all necessary measures to strengthen its operational processes and regrets any inconvenience caused to customers,” an airline spokesperson stated.
Amit Mishra, another passenger on the same flight, mentioned that they landed in Varanasi around 10:30 am.
“To catch a 7:50 am flight, you need to be at the airport by 6:30 am at the latest if you don’t have checked baggage. Such delays due to the airline’s errors should be addressed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” he said.
Strict Regulation
The aviation regulator has been imposing penalties on airlines for denying boarding to passengers with valid tickets.
According to DGCA’s civil aviation regulations issued in 2016, airlines do not have to compensate passengers if an alternative flight is arranged within an hour of the scheduled departure.
However, if an alternative flight is provided within 24 hours of the denial of boarding, the airline must pay 200% of the booked one-way basic fare plus the airline fuel charge, up to a maximum of ₹10,000.
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