After delays hit IndiGo flights from Istanbul, airline apologises for inconvenience | Business News
As passengers remained stranded in Istanbul airport for hours owing to delays in flights to New Delhi and Mumbai, IndiGo apologised for the inconvenience and assured that the issue would be sorted at the earliest.
According to reports and social media accounts, around 400 passengers travelling in IndiGo flights to New Delhi and Mumbai were left stranded at the airport for over 24 hours.
“We are aware of the delays on the IndiGo flight connections to Istanbul. We accord the highest priority towards customer convenience and out teams are available at all contact points to assist customers. IndiGo apologises for the inconvenience caused to the customers,” IndiGo said in a statement.
Sources in the airline said that they have been making necessary arrangements to take care of the stranded passengers. Those with valid Turkish visas are being provided accommodation, while other passengers are being assisted at the airport by accommodating them in lounges, sources added.
IndiGo 6E18 from Istanbul to Mumbai isn’t just a flight, it’s a life lesson in patience, endurance, and questioning all your life choices. Nearly 2 days delayed—guess they’re waiting for the Wright brothers to come and personally fix the plane. #6EternalSuffering
— Anand Chandrasekhar (@iceberg_444) December 13, 2024
Passengers, meanwhile, took to social media platforms to voice their issues. One of the fliers, Anushri Bhansali, wrote on X: “After months of saving to book a flight home to India, I’m now stranded in Istanbul, exhausted and sick, thanks to your delays and cancellations! Delayed TWICE by an hour, CANCELLED with no notice RESCHEDULED 12 hrs later, NO DETAILS or final confirmation!”
She added, “There’s no Indigo rep at the airport, no accommodation or meal vouchers, and I’m sick with a fever now! My worried parents can’t even get in touch with indigo via call-no one picked, and over 400 passengers are stuck with no support.”
Another passenger, Parshwa Mehta, said: “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?”
Indigo flight 6E 18 from Instanbul to Mumbai is postponed by 14 hours without any prior intimation.
There are more than 1000 people stranded here in the airport without a single authority to help. pic.twitter.com/FVCazstDrt
— K Pranoy (@KovuriPranoy) December 12, 2024
Explaining the situation at the airport, he 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.”
IndiGo has only two Boeing 777s on lease for operating its flight between Istanbul and India. According to data from Flightradar24, the first major delay on the Istanbul-Delhi flight 6E12 was on December 11. The flight was supposed to depart from Istanbul at 8:15 pm local time but finally took off at around 5 pm the next day. Consequently, subsequent flights to and from Istanbul were also hit as the same aircraft was to operate these flights, per flight tracking data.
