I usually try not to post about the weird nuances of Indian aviation, but this one could have safety consequences, so here we go. It seems that IndiGo had a massive goof-up at the Mumbai Airport, due to which an extra passenger boarded a flight and was about to take off. Luckily, the mistake was caught before takeoff.

IndiGo’s extra passenger on board the Mumbai to Varanasi flight

An IndiGo flight, 6E 6543, operating from Mumbai to Varanasi on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, was forced to return to the gate at Mumbai Airport after the crew spotted an overbooked passenger while the plane taxied for takeoff. A cabin crew member noticed a male passenger standing at the rear end of the aircraft as it pushed back and taxied to the runway.

Preliminary information shows that one confirmed passenger was deemed a no-show, and his seat was given away to a standby passenger (perhaps an IndiGo employee). However, the confirmed passenger eventually boarded the aircraft and took his assigned seat, leaving the standby to stand in a corner at the back of the aircraft.

This is a security lapse because each soul is accounted for before takeoff onboard an aircraft. So, in this case, if the unaccounted passenger had taken off, it would have been an even larger blunder for the airline. Regulatory agencies, the DGCA and the BCAS, are probing the lapse.

IndiGo said in a statement,

There was an error during the passenger boarding process of 6E 6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi, wherein a standby passenger was allotted a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger. The error was noticed prior to the departure of the aircraft, and the standby passenger was de-boarded. This led to a slight delay in the departure of the aircraft. IndiGo will take all measures to strengthen its operational processes and regrets the inconvenience caused to customers.

This is a massive mistake, in my view, and the airline needs to review its processes to ensure this does not happen again.

Bottomline

IndiGo’s flight 6E 6543, operating between Mumbai and Varanasi on May 21, 2024, had an extra passenger on board as it proceeded to the runway for takeoff. This was an error on their part, and the passenger was removed before take off.

What do you think of this goof-up from IndiGo?

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