Around 160 passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Vadodara to Delhi on Sunday night had to sit in complete darkness and without air conditioning for around 30 minutes after a ground power unit (GPU) supplying electricity to the aircraft stopped working before take-off, PTI reported citing sources.
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Power failure on IndiGo 6E 657 at Vadodara Airport: Passengers stuck without AC, lights or ventilation for ~30 mins on ground.
Chaos inside! pic.twitter.com/6rrlXg2JhX
— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) May 18, 2026
What led to the chaos on IndiGo Vadodara-Delhi flight?
The aircraft, operating IndiGo flight 6E 657 from Vadodara to Delhi, was scheduled to depart at 8.40 pm. At that time, the aircraft was receiving power from the ground power unit, but the system suddenly failed, an airport official told the news agency.
According to the official, engineers took around 12-15 minutes to fix the fault in the GPU, and another 15 minutes were needed to restore power to the aircraft.
“During these 30 minutes, there was complete darkness in the cabin, and with the AC also not functioning, the passengers were sweating badly,” PTI quoted the official as saying.
There were around 160 passengers on board the aircraft, he added.
IndiGo issues statement on the incident
In a statement, IndiGo said the Vadodara-Delhi flight was delayed due to a technical snag, which was resolved shortly after.
“IndiGo flight 6E 657 operating from Vadodara to Delhi on 17 May, 2026 was delayed due to a technical snag. The issue was promptly resolved and the aircraft proceeded to its destination soon thereafter. Customers were kept informed throughout the delay and our teams did their best to minimise their discomfort”.
What is a ground power unit?
A GPU is equipment connected to an aircraft while it is parked at the gate. It provides electricity needed to run the aircraft’s lights, air conditioning, and other systems without using the aircraft’s engines or onboard generator.
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the Vadodara-Delhi flight, scheduled to depart at 8.40 pm, finally took off at 10 pm after a delay of 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Similar incident reported in Air India flight earlier this year
A similar incident was reported in April when passengers on an Air India Delhi–Indore flight faced severe discomfort after a technical problem forced the aircraft to return from the runway to the terminal.
Flight AI-2515, which usually departs from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 12:10 PM and lands in Indore at 1:45 PM, was delayed because of the issue. While the aircraft remained parked on the runway, the air conditioning was switched off, causing extreme discomfort inside the cabin.