Nearly 400 IndiGo passengers headed to Delhi, Mumbai stranded at Istanbul airport: Report
Around 400 IndiGo passengers travelling to Delhi and Mumbai have allegedly been stranded for 24 hours at Istanbul airport in Turkey, NDTV reported on Friday. The airline attributed the delay to operational reasons.
Frustrated passengers voiced their complaints on X, alleging they were not given food or accommodation, and that some were in poor health.
One passenger posted on X at 2:43 AM (IST) on Thursday: “We have a flight from Istanbul to Delhi operated by @IndiGo6E almost 500 people stranded in the airport, actual time is 20:10 but now they said due to some unforeseen reason it is delayed to next day afternoon 13:30 pm, such bullshit, is this the way you treat your passengers?”
NDTV also quoted Rohan Raja, another passenger, who shared that after the 6:40 am flight from Delhi was cancelled, passengers had to endure the cold without transport to the accommodations they were reportedly provided.
Passenger Parshwa Mehta took to X on Friday at 3:50 AM (IST) to express his frustration about the delay, writing, “Hey @IndiGo6E, your handling of flight 6E0018 from Istanbul to Mumbai on Dec 12 has been a disaster. Scheduled to depart at 8:15 PM, it was delayed to 11 PM on the same day. Fine, we waited. Then it was shockingly pushed to 10 AM the next day. What’s going on?”
He further added, “To make matters worse, NO ONE from Indigo was present at the gate to explain the situation. The news came from Turkish Airlines crew, and there was no formal announcement—just complete chaos. We were told we’d get lounge access at Istanbul airport as compensation. But the lounge was far too small to accommodate the huge number of stranded passengers. Many of us were left standing for hours without proper facilities. Seriously, @IndiGo6E?”
Mehta continued, stating that no alternative flights were offered, there was no clear communication, and no plans for compensation were shared. “How do you expect passengers to trust your airline after such an appalling experience?” Mehta questioned.
He also criticised the airline’s accountability, saying, “This delay isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a blatant failure of basic customer service. Where is the accountability? Where is the empathy for the passengers stranded overnight at the airport? @IndiGo6E, you owe every passenger on this flight an explanation, an apology, and fair compensation. We need to know how you plan to make up for the lost time, the chaos, and the lack of support.”
IndiGo responded to Mehta’s complaint, stating, “Mr Mehta, we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and will connect with you.”
IndiGo ranked ‘world’s worst airlines’ in survey
Earlier this month, IndiGo was ranked among the “world’s worst airlines” in the 2024 AirHelp Score report, securing 103rd place out of 109 with a score of 4.80.
This low rating is attributed to poor customer satisfaction and the airline’s handling of flight disruption claims. In response to the ranking, IndiGo criticised the survey’s methodology, pointing out that it did not disclose the sample size from India, “casting doubt on the survey’s credibility.”
“As India’s most preferred airline, IndiGo refutes the findings of this survey and reiterates its promise of on-time, affordable, courteous and hassle-free travel experience for its customers,” IndiGo’s statement said.