IndiGo is flying two Airbus A321 aircraft to Istanbul to evacuate passengers stranded at the airport after the airline’s Istanbul-Delhi flight scheduled for Friday night was canceled due to technical issues with the aircraft. The flight was the latest in a string of IndiGo flights between Istanbul and India that were disrupted over the past three days.
The disruptions left many passengers stranded at Istanbul Airport, many of them for more than 24 hours. Many affected passengers took to social media to express their frustration. The Consulate General of India in Istanbul also stepped in to assist travelers affected by the disruption.
“IndiGo flight 6E 12, operated from Istanbul to Delhi Canceled due to technical issues. An alternative flight has been arranged to take the passengers to their destination. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and appreciate their understanding in this matter,” the airline said in a statement on Saturday.
On Friday night, IndiGo said that the disruptions of the previous two days had been sorted out and operations on the Istanbul routes had been normalized. However, the flight from Istanbul to Delhi was again affected on Friday night. IndiGo flies daily between Delhi and Istanbul and Mumbai and Istanbul. Flights to Istanbul from both Indian cities depart early in the morning (Indian time), while return flights from Istanbul depart in the evening (Turkish time).
IndiGo operates flights to and from Istanbul using two of its wet-leased wide-body Boeing 777s, which more than double the seating capacity of the airline’s regular narrow-body Airbus A320 family aircraft. These two 777s are used exclusively for IndiGo flights to and from Istanbul. Due to the wide gap in passenger capacity between the 777s and A320 family aircraft, IndiGo is sending two planes to Istanbul to bring back stranded passengers.
According to flight-tracking data, the first major delay on Istanbul-Delhi flight 6E12 occurred on Wednesday (Dec 11). The flight was scheduled to depart Istanbul at 8:15 local time but finally took off at 5pm the following day, which had a major impact on IndiGo’s services to and from Turkey. The Istanbul-Mumbai flight on Thursday was also delayed by about 16 hours. As a result, the return flights to Istanbul were also affected as the same aircraft was supposed to operate these flights according to the flight tracking data.
“IndiGo flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Istanbul were delayed due to technical issues. This caused cascading delays in the return fields. All necessary steps were taken to inform the clients, and they were provided with meals and accommodation where possible. We regret the inconvenience caused to customers and appreciate their understanding and patience,” the airline said regarding the disruption that began on Wednesday night.
“The consulate was in regular contact with the airlines and was responding to all the calls of the passengers. The flight was delayed due to security-related technical issues. Passengers were provided with lounge, seating and food. The flights finally departed for Istanbul after necessary checks,” Indian Consul General in Istanbul said. The embassy posted on social media platform X about the flight disruptions on Wednesday and Thursday.
Regarding the latest disruption to the Istanbul-Delhi flight on Friday, the Consulate General said it was responding to all calls from passengers in any trouble and its phone lines were open.
Several passengers had complained on social media that IndiGo and its partner Turkish Airlines were abusing the situation. They alleged that they were not properly informed about delays and cancellations, and that they were not provided with food and accommodation. IndiGo sources said it has made necessary arrangements to take care of the stranded passengers. Those with valid Turkish visas were provided accommodation outside the airport, while other passengers were assisted at the airport by being accommodated in lounges, as they cannot enter Istanbul without valid Turkish visas, IndiGo sources said.
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