Indian gov't issues notice to IndiGo, Mumbai airport after passengers seen eating on tarmac

NEW DELHI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- India's federal government Tuesday issued show-cause notices to private airline IndiGo and the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) after a video of passengers eating on the tarmac surfaced on social media.

The video showed stranded passengers rushing out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, sitting on the tarmac, and some even having food. The passengers were from the diverted Goa-Delhi flight which landed after a long delay on Jan. 14.

The unusual episode was a result of the extensive flight disruptions experienced at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi due to dense fog.

Over the past two days, the airport in Delhi has witnessed scenes of utter chaos as stranded passengers faced prolonged delays.

On Sunday evening, a passenger aboard IndiGo flight slapped the aircraft's pilot while he was making an announcement regarding a delay in takeoff due to the fog.

Hundreds of flights arriving at and departing from Delhi airport faced severe delays due to the intense fog.

On Monday India's civil aviation regulator -- the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) -- issued new standard operating procedures (SOPs) stating that airlines may cancel flights that are expected to be delayed beyond three hours, particularly amid foggy conditions.