IndiGo Surat-Goa Flight Delay Sparks Garba Celebration at Airport

Surat |Goa — What began as frustration for passengers of IndiGo’s Surat-Goa flight soon turned into a festival-like atmosphere, after a seven-hour delay forced them to wait at the airport. With Navratri spirit in full swing, stranded flyers transformed the terminal into a dance floor, performing Garba to Kinjal Dave’s popular songs.

The trouble started when the pilot of IndiGo flight 6E 418 fell ill just before departure. The aircraft, which usually takes off from Surat at 3:20 pm, was diverted to the parking bay. It took IndiGo nearly seven hours to arrange a replacement pilot, and the flight finally departed at 9:45 pm.

“I had cancelled my train ticket and booked this flight only to reach Surat quickly for Navratri,” said Mayur, a passenger. “But when the flight got delayed, I joked with the staff that if I can’t reach Surat for Garba, I’ll do it right here at the airport.”

Moved by the idea, IndiGo staff arranged a speaker, and soon passengers began dancing Garba inside Goa airport, turning the delay into an impromptu Navratri celebration. The moment was captured on video and quickly went viral on social media, though many users wrongly claimed the dance happened at Surat airport.

The chain reaction of delays meant that the same aircraft’s Surat-Goa-Surat and Surat-Bengaluru flights also took off late. The Bengaluru-bound flight eventually departed at 1:15 am.

Despite the chaos, passengers appeared to take the disruption in stride. “The situation could have been frustrating, but instead, it became memorable. Only in Gujarat’s Navratri season can a flight delay turn into a Garba night,” another passenger laughed.

By 11 pm, the passengers finally reached Surat, but not before leaving behind a memory that blended travel woes with festival joy.