The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered an investigation on Friday after a passenger who was due to catch an Indigo flight to Patna instead boarded another flight and landed in Udaipur, nearly 1400 kilometres distant from his destination, news agency ANI reported.
The event was reported on Monday, January 30, and the traveller was transported to his destination the following day, the report said.
According to a senior DGCA official, the passenger, Afsar Hussain, booked a ticket to Patna on Indigo flight 6E-214 and arrived at Delhi airport on January 30 to take the scheduled aircraft. However, he erroneously boarded Indigo flight 6E-319 destined for Udaipur, as stated in the report.
Only after landing at Udaipur Airport did the traveller realise his error, the report said.
After that, he told officials at Udaipur Airport, who subsequently notified the airline, as per the report.
The airline flew him back to Delhi the same day and then to Patna on January 31, ANI reported citing an official statement.
“We are seeking a report on the matter, and appropriate action would be taken against the airline,” stated a DGCA official, as per the report.
The DGCA will investigate why the passenger’s boarding permit was not completely inspected and how he boarded the wrong flight although boarding passes are checked at two locations before boarding, he added.
In a statement issued on Friday, the airline stated, “We are aware of the incident that occurred with a customer on the 6E319 Delhi-Udaipur flight.”
“We are engaging with the authorities on this. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passenger,” the airline stated.
This is the second such event in the last 20 days on an Indigo flight.
Earlier that day, on January 13, a passenger with an airline ticket and boarding permit for an Indore-bound flight boarded the wrong aeroplane and was transferred to Nagpur airport.
(With Inputs From Agencies)