Bihar guv, passengers stranded at Goa airport after IndiGo flight technical snag

IndiGo said the flight was cancelled, and all the customers were offered options to refund or book alternative flights

New Delhi: An IndiGo flight from Goa to Delhi nose gear jammed on Friday afternoon, not allowing the low-cost carrier’s aircraft to takeoff, forcing Bihar governor Rajendra Arlekar and other passengers to opt for an alternate flight.

IndiGo said Flight 6E 6193, scheduled to operate from Goa to Delhi, returned to the bay due to a technical issue. (Bloomberg)

The incident took place when flight 6E 6193 had pushed back and started to taxi. The passengers said that the crew initially attributed the situation to delay due to air traffic control (ATC).

“The aircraft had to return to the bay, and we had to be deboarded. Upon asking, we were told that there were issues in the nose wheel of the aircraft,” Mohammad Asif Khan, one of the passengers who was seated near Arlekar, said.

Another Delhi bound passenger Nageshwar Yadav said that there was no clarity from the airline even after they returned to the terminal building.

“The airline did not offer water or food. After around 5.30pm they informed us that the aircraft would not be taking off and that we could either take a refund or choose to get adjusted in one of their one stop flights which meant at least an eight-hour delay,” he said.

An airport official said that Arlekar, who was accompanied by his team, chose to fly with the immediately available flight, Air India.

Another passenger Ashutosh Chahal had to take a flight to Chennai to be able to land in Delhi on the same night.

Yadav said that he chose to fly to Mumbai to be able to fly back to Delhi. “We were supposed to land in Delhi at 4.45pm, instead I will now be landing at around midnight,” he said.

IndiGo's statement

A statement issued by IndiGo said, “Flight 6E 6193, scheduled to operate from Goa to Delhi, returned to the bay due to a technical issue. The flight was cancelled, and all the customers were offered options to refund or book alternative options to reschedule their flights. IndiGo apologises for the inconvenience caused to the customers.”