50 Passengers Miss IndiGo Abu Dhabi Flight at Mumbai Airport After Expressway Traffic Jam Near Lonavala
Junnar, 6th February 2026: An IndiGo flight bound for Abu Dhabi reportedly departed from Mumbai International Airport without allowing around 50 passengers to board, triggering outrage among the affected travellers. The airline cited on-time departure as the reason, even though the group claims they reached the airport only about 10 minutes late.
Most of the passengers were from Ambegaon, Khed and Junnar talukas in Pune district. They said the incident caused them heavy financial losses and significant mental distress.
According to the passengers, the flight was scheduled to depart at 5:25 am on Wednesday (February 4). To avoid any risk, the group had left Manchar at 3 pm on Tuesday. However, a tanker accident near Lonavala led to massive traffic congestion, leaving them stranded for nearly seven hours.
They later took a U-turn via Khandala, reached Lonavala, and boarded the Konark Express at 12:40 am. As the train was delayed by about an hour, they got down at Thane instead of Dadar and hired taxis at high fares to rush to the airport, reaching around 3:30 am.
Despite these efforts, the airline denied boarding to the entire group. The passengers alleged that some travellers were still waiting at the boarding gate at the time. “IndiGo abandoned us despite no fault on our part,” said Chandrakant Bangar and Nanda Padwal.
The group said they lost money on flight tickets, hotel bookings in Dubai and visa-related expenses. Each passenger had reportedly paid around ₹25,500 for the trip. Several first-time flyers were also among them.
Alleging that IndiGo staff gave no clear response, the passengers have demanded an immediate inquiry, compensation and more passenger-friendly policies. They also said they plan to raise the matter with Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol.
