400 IndiGo Passengers Stranded At Istanbul Airport For 24 Hours; No Food, Accommodation Provided

Around 400 IndiGo passengers scheduled to travel between New Delhi, Mumbai, and Turkey have reportedly been stranded at Istanbul Airport for 24 hours.

In response to a passenger query, the airline stated that the flight was delayed due to "operational reasons."

Passengers took to social media platforms X and LinkedIn to share their grievances, claiming the flight was initially delayed and then cancelled without prior notice.

Anushri Bhansali, one of the fliers, said the flight was delayed twice by an hour, subsequently cancelled, and eventually rescheduled 12 hours later, leaving passengers stranded. She complained of exhaustion and fever, stating that no accommodation, meal vouchers, or assistance from IndiGo representatives were provided at the airport.

Another passenger, Rohan Raja, recounted that after the 6.40 am flight from Delhi was cancelled, travellers struggled in the cold as the airline allegedly failed to arrange transport to the accommodations they were said to have been provided.

Parshwa Mehta, who was scheduled to fly to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, noted that his 8.15 pm flight was initially delayed to 11 pm and then further pushed to 10 am the next day. He described the ensuing chaos, with no announcements from IndiGo and passengers relying on information from Turkish Airlines staff instead.

"We were told we'd get lounge access at Istanbul Airport as compensation. But the lounge was far too small to accommodate the huge number of stranded passengers. Many of us were left standing for hours without proper facilities. No alternative flights were offered, no proper communication was made, and to top it all off, no plans for reparations were shared," Mehta wrote in a post on X.

Criticising the airline's "blatant failure of basic customer service," Mehta demanded an apology and fair compensation for every passenger.

Earlier this month, the AirHelp Score 2024 report ranked IndiGo among the world's worst airlines, placing it 103rd out of 109 analysed. The same report ranked Air India at 61st and AirAsia at 94th.