Watch: Chaos inside IndiGo flight amid 25-minute blackout, no AC and lights
Stranded in the sweltering heat, distressed passengers were seen desperately fanning themselves with whatever they could find, including files, newspapers, and sticks.
An IndiGo Airlines flight was plunged into total darkness and left without air conditioning after a ground power unit (GPU) suddenly failed while the aircraft was stationary on the tarmac. The power disruption occurred on flight number 6E657, causing the cabin lights and cooling systems to shut down completely. Passengers were left stranded inside the sealed cabin under hot and suffocating conditions, which triggered panic and a massive uproar at the airport.
The incident lasted for about 25 minutes, from 8:50 pm to 9:15 pm last night. Stuck in the sweltering heat, distressed passengers were seen desperately fanning themselves with whatever they could find, including files, newspapers, and sticks. A passenger captured the ordeal on a mobile phone, and the video has since gone viral on social media.
According to official airport sources, the crisis was triggered by a technical failure in the Ground Power Unit, which supplies vital electricity to an aircraft's cabin lights, air conditioning, and cockpit instruments when its main engines are turned off at the terminal. Following the power failure, a team of airline technicians immediately initiated repair work and successfully restored the power supply. The passengers finally breathed a sigh of relief once the lights and air conditioning were turned back on, after which the flight departed for Delhi.
The incident also resulted in a delay in the departure of the flight. The flight was scheduled to depart at 8.40 pm; however, due to the failure in GPU, it departed at 10 pm.