Flight delayed for 90 minutes after pilot refuses to take off until passenger apologises to staff for complaining about late-running service

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An Indian flight was delayed by more than 90 minutes after an argument broke out between an irate passenger and the plane’s crew.

The Indigo flight from Delhi to Chennai was delayed when a businessman, angry at being forced to wait in an airport coach for 35 minutes, started remonstrating with cabin crew.

The pilot reportedly gave a message over the speaker in the plane, saying he would not take off until the passenger had apologised for his behaviour. 

The spat is said to have occurred following a delay in boarding the aircraft on Sunday.

Passengers claim they were forced to wait for 35 minutes in three airport coaches parked on the tarmac as they were transferred from the terminal to the runway.

When boarding finally began, the businessman started arguing with the cabin staff over the delay.

An announcement was then broadcast declaring that the aircraft would leave for Chennai only after the businessman, who asked not to be named, apologised.

‘The captain had the cheek to threaten the passenger that he would be offloaded if he didn't apologise,’ fellow passenger Alok Kumar told the Mumbai Mirror.

IndiGo's scheduled flight from Delhi to Chennai on Sunday was delayed by more than 90 minutes after an argument broke out between an irate passenger and the plane’s pilot

Passengers had already filled the three coaches that were ferrying them to flight 6E 287, scheduled to leave Delhi at 8.45 pm.

They were asked to remain in the coaches until the aircraft, which had come in from Ahmedabad, was prepared for take-off.

Just over 30 minutes later, they were asked to board the flight, which is when the businessman from Mumbai complained about the delay.

‘The first cabin announcement the captain made should have been about the reason for keeping passengers waiting in the coaches for so long and he should have apologised for the delay,’ said Amit Mohan, who recorded the altercation on his phone camera.

Mr Mohan, the director of a multinational medical equipment manufacturing company, instead claimed the captain immediately sought an apology from the passenger.

Passengers claim they were forced to wait for 35 minutes in three airport coaches parked on the tarmac as they were transferred from the terminal to the runway

When the man refused, IndiGo security staff were summoned before proceeding to haul the passenger off the aircraft, upon which several others stepped in to help the businessman and security staff then backed off.

It was just over an hour later that the flight finally took off for Chennai.

The airline confirmed that the flight had been delayed, but claimed it had been unavoidable as crew were helping a wheelchair-bound woman disembark from the previous flight from Ahmedabad.

‘It was a one-off case, where a senior citizen with special requirements was seated in row five,’ an IndiGo spokesman said in a statement to the Mumbai Mirror.

He explained that due to the passenger's multiple fractures she could not easily be moved without causing pain so helping her off the flight took longer than expected.

The airline claimed the angry passenger 'abused' ‘the captain as he stepped out from the cockpit and said staff were forced to call security to intervene.