A Varanasi bound IndiGo flight was forced to return to Mumbai airport on Tuesday just as it was about to take off after the crew spotted an overbooked passenger standing at the rear of the aircraft.

The aircraft had to return to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai after the crew alerted the pilot about the male passenger while flight 6E 6543 was taxiing.

One of the passengers, Akhilesh Chaubey, who was heading to Varanasi on a work trip, said, “The flight returned to the bay and the passenger was offloaded. The airline then checked the cabin baggage of all passengers on board before proceeding with the take-off after a delay of at least an hour.”

Speaking about the incident, an IndiGo airline spokesperson stated that the error was noticed before the departure of the aircraft, and the standby passenger was de-boarded.

“There was an error during the passenger boarding process of 6E 6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi, wherein a standby passenger was allotted a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger. The error was noticed prior to the departure of the aircraft, and the standby passenger was de-boarded. This led to a slight delay in the departure of the aircraft. IndiGo will take all measures to strengthen its operational processes and regrets the inconvenience caused to customers,” the spokesperson added.

To prevent flights from departing with empty seats, airlines often overbook flights to minimise the risk.

According to the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), penalties have been imposed on airlines for denying boarding even on valid tickets, Hindustan Times reported.

As per regulations notified in 2016, an airline is not obligated to provide compensation to passengers if an alternative flight is arranged within an hour of the scheduled departure.