• Go First flight G8 116 took off, leaving more than 50 people behind.
• Shreya Sinha described it as the “most horrifying experience” in a blog post.
• The incident has emerged at a time when airlines are facing scrutiny.

Go First flight took off from Bengaluru this morning with a busload of passengers waiting on the tarmac, accusing the airline of gross irresponsibility. Some customers claimed on Twitter.

According to complaints on Twitter tagging the airline, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, flight G8 116 from Bengaluru to Delhi took off about 6.30 a.m., leaving more than 50 people behind.

Responding to at least three such tweets, Go First Airways invited customers to give their information and stated, “We apologise the difficulty caused.”

Shreya Sinha described it as the “most horrifying experience” in a blog post. She stated that the passengers boarded the bus for the flight at 5.35 a.m. but remained on board for an hour.

“Most horrifying experience with @GoFirstairways, 5:35 am Boarded the bus for aircraft 6:30 am Still in bus stuffed with over 50 passengers, driver stopped the bus after being forced. Flight G8 116 takes off, leaving 50+ passengers. Heights of negligence!” Shreya Sinha tweeted.

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Most horrifying experience with @GoFirstairways
5:35 am Boarded the bus for aircraft
6:30 am Still in bus stuffed with over 50 passengers, driver stopped the bus after being forced.
Flight G8 116 takes off, leaving 50+ passengers.
Heights of negligence! @DGCAIndia

— Shreya Sinha (@SinhaShreya_) January 9, 2023

Satish Kumar, whose Twitter bio says “youth BJP”, shared a screenshot of the ticket.

“Flight G8 116 (BLR – DEL) flew leaving passengers on ground! More than 50 passengers on 1 bus was left on ground & flight took off with just passengers of 1 bus on boarded. Is @GoFirstairways

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@JM_Scindia @PMOIndia operating in sleep? No Basic checks.”

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Flight G8 116 (BLR – DEL) flew leaving passengers on ground! More than 50 passengers on 1 bus was left on ground & flight took off with just passengers of 1 bus on boarded. Is @GoFirstairways @JM_Scindia @PMOIndia
operating in sleep? No Basic checks. pic.twitter.com/QSPoCisIfc

— Satish Kumar (@Satishk98130718) January 9, 2023

Sumit Kumar, an Autopact employee in Bengaluru, was among the passengers who were left behind. “The passengers were given an alternative to take Air India flight this morning at 10:00 am.,” he explained.

“We are more than 54 plus on the bus. The boarding wasn’t completed. 6:20 am was the flight, and they put us in another flight Air Flight at 10pm. There were four buses. We were on the third bus. They passengers on the fourth bus boarded. However, the third bus, near the gate. Taking off from Bengaluru to Delhi. The ground staffs were checking that whether the flight took off or not. They said initially the flight will return, after taking I missed my meetings. DGCA hasn’t respond yet”. This is going to be my last flight on Gofirst,” Mr Kumar told on NDTV.

The incident has emerged at a time airlines are facing scrutiny over a range of infractions. The pilots and crew of an Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26 have been grounded over their handling of a drunk business class passenger urinating on a 70-year-old woman.

The passenger has been arrested after more than six weeks. Air India, which complained to the police only last week, admitted lapses.