Bihar governor stuck at Patna airport as IndiGo flight suffers 3-hour delay

An IndiGo flight from Patna to Chandigarh experienced a technical fault on Monday, leaving 174 passengers, including Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, stranded at Patna Airport for over two and a half hours. The flight was scheduled for departure at 1:55 pm, but a pre-flight check uncovered the issue, leading to an engineering team’s extensive repair work. Passengers were temporarily disembarked and rechecked once the fault was addressed.

Governor Arlekar, who had arrived promptly, faced the extended wait along with fellow passengers. The plane finally received clearance to take off around 4:45 pm, with repairs completed just in time for departure.

This incident mirrors another IndiGo flight's technical failure in January when a Patna-Delhi flight was forced into an emergency landing shortly after takeoff, impacting 187 passengers. Notable figures like former JDU MP Sunil Kumar Pintu and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha were aboard.

In this recent case, the swift response from IndiGo’s engineering team allowed the flight to proceed without further incident, though many passengers expressed frustration over the extended delay.