The couple were returning to Mumbai from London and had booked ticket from the airline with the London-Istanbul sector operated by Turkish Airlines and the leg to Delhi by IndiGo. They then got the next day’s flight to Mumbai after spending 24 hours on chairs at Istanbul terminal.
“My father, Rajesh Shah (64), and mother, Rashmi Shah (59), had a single PNR ticket for the journey on August 17, 2023. Dad was on a wheelchair as he had (earlier) suffered multiple strokes and has undergone surgeries and cannot walk that long as is required at big airports. They landed in Istanbul as per schedule,” the couple’s Bengaluru-based daughter Richa Shah said.
After landing, the ground staff assisted them with taking the connecting flight to Mumbai. “They were made to sit at a boarding gate with their boarding passes. When a few hours passed, my mother went to check at the counter regarding the flight status. The staff took the boarding passes from her and asked them to sit till further instructions. This kept happening repeatedly and they were only told ‘my supervisor is on the way, you have to talk to him’,” Richa said.
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The Shahs were finally told that the Mumbai flight had departed. “They panicked on being told this and reached out to me frantically. I also panicked and tried to somehow telephonically reach out to IndiGo to assist them. The local staff at the airport only spoke Turkish and my parents could not communicate with them,” she said.
Finally when Richa managed to speak to someone on the IndiGo helpline from India, the airline issued them a boarding card for a Mumbai flight the next day. “My parents are vegetarians and need constant medication and medical support. They were stranded in this condition for 24 hours at Istanbul. They spent 24 hours on chairs at a secluded place in the airport with a loaf of bread and coke. They were told that they will be picked up from the same place for the next day flight,” she said.