Delhi-Kanpur IndiGo Flight Delayed By 3 Hours After Rat Spotted On Board

The IndiGo aircraft, carrying 140 passengers was scheduled to depart at 2:55 pm, and had already completed boarding when a passenger spotted a rat onboard.

A Kanpur bound IndiGo flight was delayed by three hours after passengers spotted a rat on the plane.

Source : Twitter

A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight encountered an unexpected delay of over three hours at Kanpur airport when a rat was spotted inside the aircraft by a passenger.

The incident unfolded after all 140 travellers had completed boarding and shortly before the flight was prepared for departure at 2:55 PM, NDTV reported.

The vigilant passenger then alerted the cabin crew after noticing the rodent moving about within the cabin. Acting promptly, airline staff evacuated all passengers from the plane as a safety precaution.

Kanpur airport media in-charge Vivek Singh confirmed the rat sighting and emphasised that the evacuation was done to ensure everyone's safety onboard.

A thorough search of the plane lasted about ninety minutes before the situation could be resolved. Originally expected to land in Delhi by 4:10 PM, the flight finally left Kanpur at 6:03 PM and reached its destination by 7:16 PM.

This episode comes just days after another IndiGo flight faced disruption, but for vastly different reasons. Last week, IndiGo’s flight 6E 1089, en route from Mumbai to Phuket, was diverted to Chennai following an alleged bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax.

As soon as the aircraft landed, security agencies, including CISF personnel, conducted an extensive search, and relevant authorities launched an investigation into the matter.

Due to the night curfew at Phuket airport, the flight was rescheduled for later that evening.

IndiGo officials reaffirmed that “the safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft is our topmost priority.” During the temporary halt, affected passengers were provided with refreshments and proper arrangements to help minimise discomfort caused by the delay.

"As always, the safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft is our topmost priority," the airline said.