Chennai:Over 200 IndiGo passengers bound for Singapore were made to sit inside an aircraft at Chennai airport for nearly five hours on Tuesday, longer than the actual flight duration, before the plane finally took off. A video of passengers shouting at airline staff out of frustration spread widely on social media. The flight, 6E1025, was scheduled to depart at 7.30 am. Passengers began boarding at 6.30 am but the aircraft did not take off as planned. It finally left for Singapore at 12 noon, according to a report.

Passengers said the cabin air conditioning kept switching on and off, making conditions inside the plane uncomfortable. Those who asked to get off the aircraft were not allowed to do so for a long time.

"There was no clear explanation and no transparent communication. The cabin air conditioning repeatedly switched on and off. Infants, children, elderly passengers and working professionals were onboard. Passengers who requested to deboard due to discomfort were not permitted to do so for a considerable period," one passenger posted on social media.

To make matters worse, the pilot who had boarded the flight left midway through the delay, citing work-hour restrictions. A replacement pilot only reported for duty at 11 am.

According to sources, the AC of the aircraft was not working adequately, so the pilot brought the aircraft back to the bay and after the issue was resolved, the FDTL norms would’ve kicked in if the same crew had operated the aircraft.

Hence new crew was arranged in order to flew the aircraft

Passengers also alleged they were threatened with CISF personnel when they raised objections, without being given a proper explanation for the delay.

IndiGo, in its official response, said the pilot had flagged that the cabin temperature was above normal and informed the engineering team. By the time the technical issue was resolved, the cockpit crew had exceeded their permitted Flight Duty Time Limitations.

"We had to arrange an alternate crew, which took time," the airline said.

IndiGo sources added that passengers were kept informed about the situation at regular intervals and were provided refreshments during the wait.

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