Mumbai – An IndiGo flight bound for Varanasi from Mumbai encountered an unexpected turn of events on Tuesday morning when it was compelled to return to the aerobridge at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) shortly before take-off. The reason? A crew member noticed an overbooked passenger standing at the rear end of the aircraft as it was taxiing.
The incident unfolded around 7:50 am, just moments before flight 6E 6543 was set to depart. Sandeep Pandey, a passenger on board, recounted the situation, stating, “It was then that the crew alerted the pilot, and the flight had to return to the terminal.”
The airline, IndiGo, has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.
Overbooking, a common practice among airlines, is implemented to mitigate the risk of flights departing with unoccupied seats.
Akhilesh Chaubey, another passenger bound for Varanasi on a work trip, provided additional details, stating, “The flight returned to the bay, and the passenger was offloaded. The airline then conducted a thorough check of all cabin baggage before proceeding with take-off, resulting in a delay of at least an hour.”
According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft eventually took off at 8:41 am.
Upon arrival in Varanasi, approximately two hours later, passenger Amit Mishra expressed frustration over the delay caused by what he described as the airline’s “unlawful practices.” Mishra emphasized the inconvenience caused to passengers, particularly those adhering to the recommended airport arrival times.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been proactive in penalizing airlines for instances of denied boarding, even with valid tickets.
Under DGCA regulations outlined in 2016, airlines are exempt from compensating passengers if an alternative flight is arranged within one hour of the scheduled departure. However, if an alternative flight is provided within 24 hours of denied boarding, the airline is required to pay 200% of the booked one-way basic fare, in addition to the airline fuel charge, with a maximum cap of ₹10,000.
