The incident occurred on IndiGo flight 6E 657 on Sunday night at Vadodara airport.
Dubai: Around 160 passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Vadodara to Delhi were left in darkness and discomfort for nearly 30 minutes after a ground power failure disrupted electricity supply to the aircraft before take-off.
The incident occurred on IndiGo flight 6E 657 on Sunday night at Vadodara airport. The aircraft was scheduled to depart at 8.40pm, but a malfunction in the Ground Power Unit (GPU) — which supplies electricity to parked aircraft — caused the cabin lights and air-conditioning system to switch off unexpectedly.
Passengers reportedly endured uncomfortable and suffocating conditions inside the sealed cabin as temperatures rose. Videos circulating on social media showed travellers fanning themselves with papers and safety cards while sitting in near-total darkness.
Airport officials said engineers took around 12 to 15 minutes to fix the GPU fault, while another 15 minutes were required to fully restore power to the aircraft. “During these 30 minutes, there was complete darkness in the cabin, and with the air conditioning also not working, passengers were sweating heavily,” an official told agencies.
According to flight tracking data, the Delhi-bound flight eventually took off around 10 pm, nearly 80 minutes behind schedule.
Some passengers also alleged that communication from airline staff during the disruption was inadequate. IndiGo later said it was reviewing the incident, though the airline had not issued a detailed official statement at the time of reporting.
