Flight delays force IndiGo passengers to spend long hours at Istanbul airport

Hundreds of IndiGo passengers were stranded at the Istanbul airport for long hours due to flight delays, with the airline apologising for the inconvenience.

While the exact details of the impacted flights could not be immediately ascertained, many passengers took to social media complaining about the long delays stretching up to 24 hours and also the lack of facilities at the airport. Many of them were stranded since Thursday.

IndiGo operates two flights daily, with Boeing 777 aircraft, to Istanbul -- one from Delhi and another from Mumbai.

"Due to technical issues, IndiGo flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Istanbul experienced delays. This led to cascading delays in the return sectors. All necessary steps were taken to ensure customers were apprised, and they were provided with refreshments and accommodation, where possible," the airline said in a statement on Friday evening.

Earlier in the day, IndiGo, in a statement, also apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passengers.

The airline did not disclose specific details about the flights and the number of passengers.

Some passengers also shared pictures of people stuck at the airport.

In a post on X, a passenger said, "First time to India and stranded at the Istanbul Airport for the last 24 hours because the IndiGo flight keeps cancelling. No food. No clarity. No representative, No compensation, Pathetic treatment.”

"Lot of people stranded at the airport due to pathetic services by @IndiGo6E and @TurkishAirlines operators. Never book flights with them as they don't value passengers' time. You can never be on time with @IndiGo6E," another passenger said in a post on X.