IndiGo Flight Stranded in Egypt for 34 Hours After Rerouting Attempt Fails

Mumbai: Over 300 passengers aboard IndiGo flight 6E-2 from London to Mumbai are finally expected to depart from Cairo International Airport at 11pm tonight, ending a grueling 34-hour ordeal that left them stranded in Egypt following a series of geopolitical and regulatory complications. Hilton Accommodation Provided After Diplomatic Clearance The passengers were provided accommodation at a Hilton Hotel in Cairo after a long diplomatic procedure at the airport which continued till late evening on Monday. The flight is expected to resume its journey from Egypt to India late Tuesday evening as it is scheduled to depart from Cairo at 11pm, marking the end of a nearly day-and-a-half-long delay. The aircraft is expected to arrive at its scheduled destination at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at around 6am on Wednesday, concluding the 18hr flight after 51 hours. The Free Press Journal had reported on Tuesday that the flight, which was traveling from London Heathrow to Mumbai, is operated via Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft leased from Norway’s Norse Atlantic Airways. The service had only just restarted on Sunday after a week-long suspension triggered by escalating tensions in the Middle East. Rerouting Via Africa to Avoid Conflict Zones Backfires The trouble began in the early hours of March 9 after it departed from London at 3am, attempting a newly designed longer route via Djibouti in Africa to avoid conflict zones. This rerouting, intended to bypass restricted areas, added over 100 nautical miles to the journey, making the Mumbai-London corridor approximately 28% longer than usual. However, while over the Red Sea at approximately 8.50am, the aircraft was forced to make a u-turn and ultimately diverted to Cairo, touching down at 11.51am. Passengers had reported a harrowing experience upon landing as the crew initially provided conflicting information, suggesting a return to London before announcing a refueling stop in Cairo. The situation escalated when the aircraft remained stationary on the tarmac for over seven hours while the passengers were barred from deplaning as the airline scrambled to negotiate with Egyptian regional authorities. The delay in deplaning was reportedly due to a lack of valid Egyptian visas, as the passengers had not intended to land in the country. The Indian Embassy in Egypt eventually intervened to coordinate with local officials. By the time diplomatic clearances were secured, the flight crew had exhausted their legal duty hours, rendering them unable to fly the aircraft to its final destination. Late in the evening, authorities began the process of sorting passengers by nationality to clear them for temporary entry into the country.