A probe has been ordered in Amritsar city of India's Punjab state after a Singapore-bound Scoot Airline flight took off hours ahead of schedule, reportedly leaving around 30 passengers behind.
The incident triggered chaos, with angry passengers left in the lurch. Many staged a protest at the airport.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered an inquiry into the incident, seeking an explanation from both Scoot Airline, which is a Singaporean low-cost airline, and the Amritsar Airport Authority.
Amritsar Airport Director V.K. Seth told local media that around 280 passengers were due to travel to Singapore, but 253 of them were rescheduled, leaving behind 27 travelers. Other reports indicated the number was as high as 35.
When airport authorities asked airline officials about the incident, they alleged that passengers were informed about the change in flight time via e-mail.
One airport official claimed that the travel agent which booked the tickets for a group of 30 people had not informed the passengers about the change in flight timings.
Meanwhile, the airline reportedly accommodated all the affected passengers in another flight.
Go First Incident
A similar incident took place last week at Karnataka state's Bengaluru airport, when a Go First Delhi-bound flight took off along with the checked-in baggage of 55 passengers but left them on the tarmac in a shuttle bus en route to board the flight.
Such incidents have been viewed as serious security breaches by aviation companies.
The Go First flight was pulled up by the DGCA and has been asked for a detailed report on why it failed to comply with the regulations specified under the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).
The airline not only offered an unconditional apology for the incident but also accommodated the left-behind passengers on another flight and offered them one free ticket for travel on any domestic flight over the next 12 months.
The airline grounded the concerned duty staff and initiated an internal inquiry into the incident.