- IndiGo flight 6E657 faced a power failure while boarding at Vadodara Airport
- The aircraft lost cabin lights and air conditioning due to Ground Power Unit failure
- Passengers endured nearly 30 minutes in darkness and heat before power was restored
Recently, a routine evening flight from Vadodara to Delhi turned into an uncomfortable experience for passengers onboard an IndiGo aircraft. A sudden technical failure left the cabin completely dark and without air conditioning. The incident, which happened on IndiGo flight 6E657, has now gone viral after videos from inside the aircraft surfaced on social media. The clip showed passengers distressed, sitting in a dark cabin trying to cool themselves with newspapers and files.
Viral Videos Show Passengers Sitting In Darkness On IndiGo Flight
According to sources, the incident took place while the aircraft was still parked on the tarmac at Vadodara Airport and boarding was under way. The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 8:40 pm, but before take-off preparations could begin, the aircraft's Ground Power Unit (GPU) malfunctioned.
The GPU is an external power source supplied by the airport while an aircraft is stationary and its engines are switched off. This temporary power keeps essential systems running, including cabin lights, air-conditioning, and other onboard electrical functions. When the GPU suddenly failed, the aircraft instantly lost access to these systems.
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Passengers were then left sitting inside the aircraft for nearly 30 minutes, from around 8:40 pm to 9:15 pm, with no lights and no cooling. Videos circulating online show a tense atmosphere inside the cabin, with travellers fanning themselves using newspapers, files, and any available paper to get some relief from the heat.
The Flight Ultimately Took Off At 10 PM
The video quickly caught attention online, triggering concern over passenger safety and questioning why flyers remained on board during the outage. Airport sources later clarified that this was not an in-flight emergency and that the incident happened entirely on the ground while boarding was still in progress.
Technicians were reportedly rushed to the spot as soon as the malfunction was detected. After repair work was completed, power was restored and the cabin systems gradually came back online. The flight eventually departed for Delhi at 10 pm.
Technical glitches involving airport ground equipment are a rarity. However, if they malfunction, it can cause major inconvenience for passengers as well as the crew, because aircrafts completely rely on external power before engine start-up.
