An IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Varanasi was forced to return to the gate at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Tuesday morning after crew members discovered an overbooked passenger standing at the rear of the aircraft just before take-off.
The incident occurred around 7:50 AM when a crew member noticed the male passenger standing at the back of flight 6E 6543 while it was taxiing.
“The crew alerted the pilot, necessitating the flight’s return to the terminal,” said Sandeep Pandey, a passenger on the flight. IndiGo has yet to comment on the situation.
Airlines often overbook flights to minimize the likelihood of departing with empty seats.
Akhilesh Chaubey, another passenger traveling to Varanasi for work, reported, “The flight returned to the bay, and the passenger was offloaded. The airline then inspected the cabin baggage of all passengers before resuming take-off after a delay of at least an hour.” According to Flightradar24, the aircraft eventually took off at 8:41 AM.
Passenger Amit Mishra noted that they landed in Varanasi around 10:30 AM. He expressed “To catch a 7:50 AM flight, one should be at the airport by 6:30 AM at the latest if they don’t have check-in bag. Such delays due to the airline’s mismanagement need to be addressed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).”
The aviation regulator imposes penalties on airlines for denying boarding to passengers with valid tickets. According to DGCA regulations notified in 2016, airlines are not required to compensate passengers if an alternative flight is arranged within an hour of the scheduled departure. However, if an alternative flight is provided within 24 hours, the airline must compensate passengers with 200% of the booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charges, up to a maximum of ₹10,000.
