Flyers held ‘hostage’ on KIA tarmac as bay was occupied
新闻详情:最后更新时间: 2024-09-19 18:33:49
Bengaluru: It is a familiar sight: Passengers springing from their seats, eager to grab their bags and exit the aircraft as soon as it stops. But when a flight from Dubai landed at Kempegowda International Airport ( KIA ) in the early hours of Thursday, things took an unexpected turn. Instead of a swift exit, anxious passengers – including senior citizens struggling with bladder issues – were stuck inside the plane for over an hour, sparking frustration and unrest. According to the flyers, the near-full Indigo flight 6E1486 from Dubai touched down at KIA's new terminal runway at 3:30am. But by the time the passengers were allowed to alight the aircraft it was around 4:35 am as the flight was stranded on the tarmac, waiting for a bay to be allotted. The flight reached the airport 5 minutes before its scheduled arrival time. A source in Indigo airline only said, "The lack of parking space was the primary reason for the delay." A Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) spokesperson said, "We are looking into the issue." The passengers expressed anguish at the attitude of the KIA ATC staff. The aircraft reportedly took off 10 minutes late from Dubai but the flight captain made up for the time lost and arrived 5 minutes earlier. "After taxiing for about 7 minutes from the runway to Terminal 2, the flight captain announced that deboarding would be delayed by 25 minutes, as a different flight ( Lufthansa ) had occupied the bay allotted to our aircraft. What happened to the KIA's modern airside management system? This is not a city bus stand! They could not even do a simple process. We were made to feel like hostages," remarked Anand HG, a senior tech engineer and one of the passengers. But the delay turned into frustration, as senior citizens, international tourists, working professionals, and transit passengers were made to wait more than 60 minutes for the aircraft to move into the bay. The Indigo flight moved into the allotted bay only after the Lufthansa flight was cleared for take-off; Indigo passengers were not informed of the reason for the Lufthansa flight's delay in moving out of the bay. "Let's assume that the Lufthansa flight may have faced a technical problem. What stopped the ATC staff from directing our aircraft (Indigo) to an alternative bay? Many of the bays were empty. This is deficient customer service. It looks like airports and airlines are taking customers for granted. No one takes responsibility or accountability. None from the KIA customer service even offered an explanation or an apology to the passengers for making us wait for no mistake," lamented Dr T Satish, an anaesthetist at a well-known city hospital. The flight crew was also shocked by the ATC staff's approach. "When we asked the flight captain, he said this did not happen in the past at KIA. The crew's requests to allot a different bay were turned down several times. The flight crew had a tough time managing the passengers, many of whom refused to follow the safety protocol inside the aircraft and demanded immediate deboarding," said Aravind G, a communications professional.