Around 150 passengers of Kolkata-bound Indigo flight from Vishakhapatnam were kept waiting for more than two hours inside the aircraft on Thursday. The passengers started protesting when the flight was grounded – after the pilot made a sudden announcement that he could not fly more than the stipulated time, as per DGCA rules.
The flight had earlier been delayed for more than five hours as it could not come from Agartala in time due to heavy fog.
Passengers started screaming at the crew members, asking for a replacement pilot. But an airlines officer confirmed that Vishakhapatnam, being a non-major base, does not have pilots to replace in the evening. An official of Indigo said, "A pilot cannot fly more than eight hours. This pilot has been flying since 5.45 am. He exceeded even his extended duty."
The decision to bring a pilot from Hyderabad or Bangalore has been taken. But none knows when the passengers are going to get relief.
Among the protesters were passengers who were scheduled to catch the international flight from Kolkata later in the night.
