Flight turns bus! Overcrowded IndiGo flight returns to airport after passenger spotted standing

An IndiGo flight was forced to return to the airport after a passenger was spotted standing due to overcrowding. The IndiGo flight, operating from Mumbai to Varanasi, had to return to the aerobridge at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport (CSMIA).

The decision was taken after the crew spotted an overbooked passenger just before take-off. The incident took place at around 7:50am after a crew member noticed a male passenger standing at the rear end of the aircraft when flight 6E 6543 was taxiing.

“It was then that the crew alerted the pilot and the flight had to return to the terminal,” one of the passengers said, as per report of HT.

“The flight returned to the bay and the passenger was offloaded. The airline then checked the cabin passage of all passengers on board before proceeding with the take-off after a delay of at least an hour,” another passenger added.

“To catch a flight of 7:50am, one needs to be at the airport by 6:30am at the latest if one does not have a check-in bag. Such delays due to the airline’s illegal motives need to be taken up by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” another passenger said.

Airlines generally overbook to limit the possibility of a flight departing with empty seats.