Thousands of passengers continue to be impacted by technical issues faced by IndiGo flights on the Istanbul-India sector after their flight to Delhi and Mumbai was cancelled on Friday due to a technical issue, the Consulate General of India, Istanbul, has stepped in to aid passengers. As hundreds of passengers scheduled to fly to India remain stranded, IndiGo despatches two Airbus A321 planes to Istanbul which will likely bring the fliers back in around 20 hours.
The airline’s flights on December 11 to both Delhi and Mumbai were delayed by almost two days. Then Istanbul-Delhi of December 13 was also delayed, adding to the number of flyers stranded there. IndiGo has been asked to take care of passengers. Other steps by the government will be considered after the report of IndiGo is received," a civil aviation ministry official said. The Consulate was in touch with the airlines regularly and responding to all calls from passengers. The passengers were provided lounge, stay, and food. Turkey had abolished visa on arrival for eligible Indian travellers in April 2014. All Indian passport holders need to have an electronic visa (e-visa) or a sticker visa issued by a Turkish diplomatic or consular mission abroad in order to be able to enter into Turkey. Which means that a significant number of IndiGo passengers stuck at Istanbul airport were not able to leave the airport.
Passengers took to social media to express their frustration about the long wait and lack of adequate facilities at the airport. Meanwhile, another IndiGo flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was on Saturday forced to make an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan's Karachi city following a medical emergency onboard. The aircraft, which departed from New Delhi, was in Pakistani airspace when a male passenger fell seriously ill, according to sources from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
On Thursday, hundreds of IndiGo passengers were stuck at Istanbul airport after their flights to Delhi and Mumbai were delayed. They were stranded for over 24 hours, and many took to social media to complain about the delays and lack of facilities. There was a cascading effect on the airline's scheduled flights on the two routes.
IndiGo, on Friday evening, said all necessary steps were taken to ensure customers were apprised and provided with refreshments and accommodation, where possible.
On Saturday, IndiGo said its flight 6E 12, operating from Istanbul to Delhi, was cancelled due to a technical issue. The cancellation happened on Friday.
The airline operates two daily flights to Istanbul with leased Boeing 777 aircraft -- one from Delhi and another from Mumbai.
"Alternative aircraft have been arranged to transport passengers to their destination. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate their understanding in this matter," the airline said in a statement on Saturday.
Details about the number of passengers who were booked on the cancelled flight on Friday could not be immediately ascertained.