The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has issued show cause notices to IndiGo and Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) following the circulation of a viral video on social media showing passengers eating on the tarmac during flight delays at the airport. In an official statement released on January 16, the ministry stated that Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia conducted a meeting with all ministry officials in response to the incident.
The show cause notices highlight that both IndiGo and MIAL failed to proactively anticipate the situation and make appropriate arrangements to assist passengers at the airport. For instance, the aircraft was assigned a remote bay (C-33) instead of a Contact Stand, which would have allowed passengers to easily access boarding gates, restrooms, and refreshments at the terminal.
The statement further emphasized that this lack of preparation resulted in an unfavorable and unacceptable experience for the fatigued and frustrated passengers. The flight operation was conducted without considering passenger convenience, established security protocols, and operational issues, as noted by MoCA.
On January 14, after a significant delay, passengers from an IndiGo flight diverted from Goa to Delhi rushed out of the aircraft at Mumbai airport and resorted to sitting on the tarmac. Some passengers even resorted to having their meals there.
A brief video clip of the incident was circulated on social media. Subsequently, Mumbai airport asserted that the airport operators, in collaboration with the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the CISF, established a safety zone by cordoning off the passengers. The flight originating from Goa was unable to land at the Delhi airport due to heavy fog and was redirected to the Mumbai airport.
Meanwhile, the shares of IndiGo were trading at their lowest point of the day, having fallen by 1.31 percent to Rs 3,066.30 per share on the BSE at around 1 pm. In January alone, the stock has experienced a 3 percent increase, outperforming the benchmark Nifty 50, which has risen by approximately 1.4 percent during the same period. Over the past year, IndiGo shares have surged by 46 percent, while the Nifty has risen by 23 percent in comparison.