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Journalism of Courage
Over 100 passengers of an IndiGo flight from Pune to Delhi were left stranded for nearly three hours on Tuesday after one of the pilots allegedly declined to operate the aircraft citing Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). IndiGo flight (6E-2285), scheduled to depart at 8:40 am, finally took off at 11:40 am and landed in Delhi at 1:32 pm.
Frustrated passengers took to social media to complain about the lack of clear communication. “Unnecessarily delay of flight 6E-2285 to Delhi without any information this very bad behaviour of airport is not tolerable,” one passenger posted on X.
Another flyer tagged Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and the Airport Authority of India, alleging that the flight is “delayed every day for 3 hours” due to Air Force permissions required between 9 am and 11 am, and that passengers risk missing connections.
An IndiGo customer service officer attributed the delay to “operational issues of ATC”, saying passengers were provided meals and snacks. However an official, on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the flight was delayed due to a combination of airspace congestion and FDTL restrictions.
A second IndiGo flight from Pune, to Amritsar (6E-721) was also delayed on Tuesday for the same reason. The flight, scheduled for 2:55 am, departed only at 6:45 am and reached Amritsar at 8:40 am instead of the scheduled 5:15 am.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) implemented revised FDTL norms from November 1, limiting pilots’ duty hours to minimise fatigue and strengthen flight safety. Citizens urged that the responsibility to ensure adequate crew planning and timely departures rests with the airline, especially after the implementation of the new FDTL rules.
