Indigo Flight From Mumbai to Istanbul Delayed and Cancelled, Passengers Stranded at Mumbai Airport

Mumbai: Passengers of a BOM (Bombay) to IST (Istanbul) flight of IndiGo Airlines have been stranded at the Mumbai Airport for over 40 hours, say reports. It is not clear which terminal of the Mumbai Airport the flight was supposed to take off from. Flight 6E18 was scheduled to fly from Mumbai, India to Istanbul, Turkey at 6:40 am IST on March 7. The plane was delayed and eventually cancelled, with the airline citing technical issues with the aircraft as the reason for the delay and cancellation. 

The IndiGo flight in question was delayed for more than 12 hours before it was cancelled, leaving some international passengers stranded for over 40 hours at Mumbai Airport, say reports.

IndiGo reportedly said in a statement that it has followed all the guidelines of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in such a case, some passengers who are stranded claimed that they were not offered accommodation and only offered non-vegetarian refreshments by the airline. 

Two special flights were reportedly arranged for passengers of the cancelled flight, but these were delayed as well. It is not clear whether the passengers will be put on alternative flights.

IndiGo statement on cancelled BOM-IST Flight 6E18

IndiGo reportedly said in a statement on March 8: “IndiGo’s flight 6E18 from Mumbai to Istanbul, has been delayed due to a technical issue with the incoming aircraft from Istanbul. Passengers for this flight are being accommodated on 2 special flights operated by A32x aircraft and, we are currently working with the regulator to obtain the requisite clearances at the earliest. At this moment, ensuring passengers’ comfort caused by this unforeseen situation is our top priority and we are providing alternate options, rescheduling, and refunds as per norms. IndiGo sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience resulting from this delay.”

Flight delays at Mumbai airport

The two Mumbai airport terminals have had to cancel several flights in February and March 2024 owing to congestion, with several flights waiting for the right time to land or take off.