Passengers Stranded Overnight as IndiGo Flight Delay Sparks Chaos at Amritsar Airport
Chaos erupted at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar as an IndiGo flight to Pune was delayed for hours, leaving passengers stranded overnight and sparking distress among travelers with urgent commitments. The flight, scheduled to depart at 11:50 PM on Thursday, February 5, 2026, finally took off at approximately 3:50 AM on Friday, landing in Pune at 5:50 AM—nearly four hours after its intended arrival time of 1:50 AM.
Runway Issue Triggers Widespread Disruption
The disruption began when an IndiGo flight from Sharjah to Amritsar was denied landing clearance by Air Traffic Control due to a runway issue, forcing a temporary closure of the runway. This incident caused a domino effect, with a flight scheduled from Amritsar to Mumbai being diverted to Chandigarh. According to an IndiGo source at the airport, operational reasons beyond the airline's control led to these delays and diversions, though no official statement was issued by the airline.
Passengers bound for Pune alleged that the aircraft originally assigned to their sector was reassigned to the Mumbai flight after an alternative aircraft was arranged about an hour later. As a result, Pune-bound travelers were forced to wait for the delayed Sharjah flight to land before their service could operate, with the Sharjah flight finally arriving in Amritsar around 3 AM Friday.
Personal Hardships and Passenger Outcry
The delay caused significant personal hardships for many passengers. Vaibhav Raikar, traveling from Amritsar to Sangli via Pune to be with his father who was admitted to an ICU for bypass surgery, expressed frustration as each hour of delay threatened to postpone the procedure. "They are saying they will give me a refund. Is that the solution to my problem?" he asked, highlighting the inadequacy of financial compensation in such critical situations.
Other passengers faced similar challenges:
- Three women from Chennai, including Archana Punugu, missed their connecting flight from Pune to Chennai, forcing them to reroute through Delhi and arrive in Chennai by afternoon instead of early morning.
- Divyam Mehra, traveling to Goa via Pune, missed his 5:20 AM connecting flight, reducing his planned trip to just three days and jeopardizing bookings and return tickets for February 10.
- Approximately 30 passengers on the flight had connecting flights to Goa, hoping for further delays to accommodate them, which added to the inconvenience for Pune-bound travelers.
Punugu also criticized the lack of basic arrangements for stranded passengers during the early morning hours, noting the presence of infants, senior citizens, and a group traveling to Pune for a relative's funeral, which exacerbated their trauma.
Questions Over Prioritization and Airline Response
Passengers questioned the decision to prioritize the Mumbai sector over Pune, with one traveler asking, "One can understand the runway issue, but why make Pune passengers suffer just to make way for the Mumbai sector?" This sentiment underscored broader concerns about airline management during disruptions.
While IndiGo attributed the issues to operational factors, the incident has raised questions about passenger care and compensation policies in the face of unavoidable delays, emphasizing the need for better contingency planning and communication from airlines.
