A pilot of a flight declined to operate the flight following passenger onboarding. An announcement was made from the cockpit of the flight stating that the pilot's duty hour was over, and as a result, the flight would not take off, triggering a situation of pandemonium. The flight was scheduled to leave for Krabi, Thailand. However, this early morning journey on Thursday created unprecedented chaos. The incident occurred on IndiGo flight 6E 1085.
Delay and cockpit announcement trigger unrest
According to sources, the aircraft was scheduled to take off at 4:05 AM. But it remained on the runway for a long time. Passengers alleged that after the scheduled time had passed, the pilot clearly stated that his duty time limit (FDTL) was over, so he would not fly the aircraft anymore. This broke the passengers' patience.
A video has gone viral on social media. It shows a passenger surrounding the cabin crew and hurling abuses in foul language. In his excitement, he is also seen kicking the aircraft's 'exit' door. Angry passengers can be heard shouting, 'Why is the pilot hiding like a rat?'
Airline response and eventual departure
IndiGo said in a statement that the aircraft was delayed in arriving at Mumbai from its previous journey. Along with this, the crew's duty time limit was exceeded due to air traffic congestion. However, as the situation deteriorated severely, two 'unruly' passengers were removed from the aircraft and handed over to security personnel.
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IndiGo tried to calm the passengers by providing food and beverages. However, this incident has once again put the airline's service under scrutiny. Finally, the aircraft reached Krabi around 1 PM, nearly three hours late.
