E-Paper
Woman damages airport property worth ₹49,000 after IndiGo flight cancellation in Bhubaneswar, FIR lodged
The FIR was lodged against the passenger for alleged unruly behaviour, damage to airport property, and creating a ruckus in the airport's departure lounge
A woman passenger allegedly damaged property worth ₹49,000 at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on Thursday, with authorities lodging a police complaint against her.
The FIR was lodged against the passenger, identified as Mamoni Kharat, for alleged unruly behaviour, damage to airport property, and creating a ruckus in the airport's departure lounge after an IndiGo flight to Kolkata was cancelled due to a technical snag.
According to the complaint filed with the Airfield police station, the passenger was scheduled to fly on IndiGo flight 6E 7352 to Kolkata.
The complaint stated that the passenger lost her cool in the presence of officials from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), IndiGo, and the Airports Authority of India. The incident allegedly occurred around 6 pm on Thursday.
A video purportedly showing the passenger's unruly behaviour at the airport surfaced on social media and quickly went viral.
The footage shows a heated altercation and alleged damage to airport infrastructure following the flight cancellation.
"IndiGo flight 6E 7352, scheduled to operate from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata on August 13, 2026, was cancelled due to a technical snag identified during the mandatory pre-departure inspection of the aircraft. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and took all efforts to minimise the same, including offering them regular updates, refreshments, accommodation and alternate travel options or full refunds as applicable," IndiGo said in a statement.
AAI alleged that the passenger damaged a monitor, a keyboard, and a passport-swiping machine, resulting in an estimated loss of ₹49,000.
"During this, one of the customers who caused damage to the airport property was declared unruly and handed over to the relevant security agencies in line with standard operating procedures. We thank our customers for their patience and understanding. At IndiGo, the safety and comfort of our customers and crew remain our top priorities," the IndiGo spokesperson added.
BPIA authorities requested that the police take appropriate action and recover the cost of the damaged equipment from the passenger.
