Bengal-bound flyer from Srinagar ends up in Odisha

An Air India Express passenger who was meant to fly from Srinagar to Bagdogra in West Bengal via Delhi found himself nearly 1,500 km off course in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar. The incident, which unfolded on July 30, has raised fresh concerns about the airline’s security protocols and ground handling procedures.

An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed the error, saying, “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.”

According to officials familiar with the incident, the youth had boarded Air India Express flight IX1128, an Airbus A320 (VT-EXA), from Srinagar to Delhi and was scheduled to connect to another flight to Bagdogra. However, for reasons yet unclear, he remained seated after the aircraft landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 3.05 pm on Wednesday.

The same aircraft was scheduled to depart again at 3.55 pm for Bhubaneswar, continuing under the same flight number. Despite standard procedures that require transit passengers to disembark or be accounted for at the transfer desk, the youth was somehow overlooked. Sources suggest he may have fallen asleep or missed the announcements altogether.

Typically, a headcount is carried out before every departure to ensure the number of passengers onboard matches the manifest. But in this case, it appears the headcount was either skipped or improperly executed. The passenger’s presence went unnoticed till the aircraft was already airborne toward Bhubaneswar.

It remains unclear whether the passenger himself alerted the crew mid-flight or whether the discrepancy was discovered during routine checks. Upon realising the presence of an extra passenger, the cabin crew informed the cockpit, which in turn alerted airline authorities.

Once the aircraft landed in Bhubaneswar, Air India Express teams arranged for the man to board the return flight to Delhi on the same aircraft. He was put up in a hotel overnight and finally flown to Bagdogra the next day.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has been informed and is expected to launch a probe into the lapse.