IndiGo flight chaos: 400 passengers stranded in Istanbul for 24 hours without food

Photo: Instagram/@indigo.6e

IndiGo Airlines has issued an apology to its passengers for the significant delays and disruptions experienced on their flight connections to Istanbul. The airline acknowledged the inconvenience caused and reassured customers that their comfort and convenience are a top priority. IndiGo also stated that their teams are available at key contact points to assist stranded passengers.

In a statement released on Friday, IndiGo said, "We are aware of the delays on the IndiGo flight connections to Istanbul. We give the highest priority to customer convenience, and our teams are available at all contact points to assist customers. IndiGo apologizes for the inconvenience caused to the customers."The airline’s statement came after several passengers took to social media, sharing their distress over the situation.

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One such passenger, Anushri Bhansali, posted on X (formerly Twitter) expressing her frustration at being stranded in Istanbul due to the ongoing delays and cancellations of IndiGo flights. She described her experience, saying, "After months of saving to book a flight home to India, I’m now stranded in Istanbul, exhausted and sick, thanks to your delays and cancellations! Delayed twice by an hour, cancelled with no notice, and rescheduled 12 hours later. No details or final confirmation!" Bhansali also mentioned that there was no IndiGo representative available at the airport to assist the passengers. She added, "There’s no Indigo rep at the airport, no accommodation or meal vouchers, and I’m sick with a fever now! My worried parents can't even get in touch with IndiGo via call—no one picked up, and over 400 passengers are stuck with no support."

@IndiGo6E ,After months of saving to book a flight home to India, I’m now stranded in Istanbul, exhausted and sick, thanks to your delays and cancellations!

Delayed TWICE by an hour, CANCELLED with no notice RESCHEDULED 12 hrs later, NO DETAILS or final confirmation!

— Anushri Bhansali (@BhansaliAnushri) December 13, 2024

Another passenger, Adwait Kulkarni, voiced his frustration and urged IndiGo to provide at least one clear update to the passengers. Kulkarni posted on X, saying, "Don’t expect much from you @IndiGo6E but the least you can do is give one proper update to your passengers travelling on 6E 12 and 6E 18 flights on December 12th from Istanbul to Delhi/Mumbai and then stick to it. Not even asking for important stuff like food, accommodation, etc."

Prachi, another passenger, also expressed her disappointment. She shared that she and several other passengers had been stranded at the Istanbul airport for over 15 hours, with no food or accommodation offered. Prachi tweeted, "@IndiGo6E Very disappointed, 100s of people including little kids are still stuck at Istanbul airport for more than 15 hours on a flight to Mumbai with no accommodation or any food/water offered. No one is there to help from Indigo, worst customer service."

Don't expect much from you @IndiGo6E but the least you can do is give one proper update to your passengers travelling in 6E 12 and 6E 18 flights on 12th December from Istanbul to Delhi / Mumbai and then stick to it. Not even asking for important stuff like food, accommodation,etc

— Adwait Kulkarni (@I_Sherlocked) December 13, 2024

Raja Chowdhury, another frustrated passenger, shared his experience of being left in the dark about his delayed flight. He tweeted, "@TurkishAirlines @IndiGo6E Hi, this morning’s flight to Istanbul was delayed by several hours and passengers were taken to a hotel without any information as to why it was delayed or when the flight would take off. What can I do to get more information on this?"

@IndiGo6E Very disappointed, 100s of people including little kids are still stuck at Istanbul airport for more than 15 hours on flight to Mumbai with no accommodation and any food/water offered. No one is there to help from Indigo, worst customer service 😡

— Prachi (@fabwp55) December 13, 2024

IndiGo’s apology and statement came in response to growing passenger complaints about a lack of communication, support, and basic services like food and accommodation, leading to widespread dissatisfaction among those affected.