Radhika Apte and Co-Passengers Locked Inside Aerobridge at Mumbai Airport

Bollywood actress Radhika Apte and several co-passengers had a distressing experience at Mumbai‘s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport when they found themselves locked inside the aerobridge of an IndiGo flight bound for Bhubaneswar. The incident occurred after the passengers were asked to board Flight 6E 2301 at 8:30 am, but the flight was delayed due to a crew change.

The situation took a turn for the worse when Apte and other passengers discovered that they had been locked inside the aerobridge. Despite their pleas, the IndiGo staff refused to allow them to return to the departure lounge. Apte took to Instagram to voice her frustration, posting, ‘Today morning I had a flight at 8:30. It’s 10:50 now and the flight has still not boarded. BUT the flight said we were boarding and put all the passengers in the aerobridge and LOCKED IT! The passengers with small babies, elderly people have been locked in for over an hour. The security won’t open the doors. The staff has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE!’

According to Apte, the IndiGo staff informed them that they were waiting for the new crew to arrive and pilot the aircraft, causing further delays. She added that she managed to briefly speak to a staff member outside who denied any issues or delays. The passengers were told they would remain locked in until at least 12 pm with no access to water or restroom facilities.

The exact duration of the incident remains unclear, but Apte shared photos on Instagram showing passengers sitting on the carpeted floor of the aerobridge. When asked for a comment, IndiGo released a statement that did not address the issue of passengers being locked in, stating, ‘Flight 6E 2301 from Mumbai to Bhubaneswar was delayed due to operational reasons. Passengers were kept informed about the delay. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to all our passengers.’

Furthermore, the flight was also impacted by the closure of both runways at Mumbai’s CSMIA for the Indian Air Force Surya Kiran aerobatic show. The closure, which took place between 12 noon and 1 pm, caused additional delays. Previous advisories had been issued by CSMIA regarding the runways’ closure for the air show.

Sources reveal that the original crew had reached their duty time limit and departed, but the ground staff failed to confirm the crew’s availability before beginning passenger boarding. Ultimately, the IndiGo flight, scheduled to depart at 8:30 am, eventually took off at 1:52 pm and arrived in Bhubaneswar at 3:37 pm.

Radhika Apte, known for her roles in ‘Sacred Games’ and other notable movies, was not available for further comments when approached for the article.