11 September,2026 10:39 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The flight eventually departed for Mumbai after IndiGo completed the necessary alternative arrangements. Representational Pic
A Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight from Varanasi was delayed by several hours on Thursday after the pilot scheduled to operate the service suddenly reported sick, following which the airline made alternative arrangements.
Flight 6E-6544 was scheduled to operate from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi to Mumbai, reported PTI.
An airline source said the pilot assigned to the flight suddenly called in sick, prompting IndiGo to arrange another pilot to operate the service.
"This led us to make alternative arrangements and rush in another pilot who later flew the flight," the source told PTI over the phone.
The source said the need to make alternative arrangements resulted in the delay. Passengers were informed about the reason for the disruption and served refreshments while they waited.
Airport director Puneet Gupta, however, said the flight was delayed for several hours due to technical reasons and was later operated to Mumbai, PTI
Gupta also denied reports that passengers had created a ruckus at the airport amid the delay.
The flight eventually departed for Mumbai after IndiGo completed the necessary alternative arrangements.
In a separate incident, an IndiGo flight from Lucknow to Dammam in Saudi Arabia made an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport on Thursday evening after a bomb threat was reported onboard, prompting security agencies to search the aircraft.
IndiGo flight 6E097 landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad around 5.45 pm after a crew member found a piece of paper bearing the word "bomb" on the aircraft, sources said.
"All passengers and crew members were safely disembarked," they added.
According to information available from airport authorities, the aircraft had 133 people on board, including passengers and crew. An earlier police account had put the number at 107 passengers and six crew members.
Following the landing, passengers and crew members were evacuated from the aircraft, and security protocols were activated. Local police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel began searching the aircraft, while the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) also carried out checks.
"No suspicious object had been found on board," officials said.
(With PTI inputs)
