Probe on as man forgets to deboard Air India Express flight in Delhi, lands in Odisha

A Srinagar-Delhi flyer missed getting off, ended up in Bhubaneswar. Air India Express is probing how he stayed on board unnoticed.

A passenger on an Air India Express flight who was meant to get off at Delhi airport accidentally stayed on the same aircraft and flew to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

A passenger on an Air India Express flight from Srinagar missed his Delhi stop and flew to Bhubaneswar instead. The airline is investigating the security lapse.(Reuters)

The airline has launched an investigation to address any lapses, according to a PTI news agency report.

An Air India Express spokesperson cited in the report said, “On July 30, a guest transiting through Delhi on another flight inadvertently continued on the aircraft onward to Bhubaneswar. An internal investigation is being conducted to identify and address any lapses, while reiterating SOPs and internal briefings across stations to prevent recurrence.”

Normally, airline staff check passengers' boarding passes and baggage during transit as part of standard procedures.

While specific details about the passenger and the aircraft could not be immediately ascertained, a source cited in the PTI report said the man flew from Srinagar to Delhi but didn’t get off, as he was supposed to. The plane then continued to Bhubaneswar using the same aircraft. The crew only realised what had happened after the man informed them.

The above-mentioned sources added, “The crew then informed the pilots, who in turn informed the airline. When this aircraft landed, AI Express teams were there who put him on the return flight the same aircraft was to operate to Delhi. Once he reached here Wednesday night, the airline put him up in a hotel and then flew him to Bagdogra on Thursday.”