Indian-Origin Man Recounts 52-Hour-Long "Nightmare" Journey From Delhi To New Zealand

An Indian-origin man living in New Zealand recently took to LinkedIn to express his frustration over a 52-hour-long chaotic travel experience during his one-week emergency trip to India. In his post, Hardik Ahuja shared that he came to India to visit his grandfather in the ICU. However, what was supposed to be a one-week emergency trip turned into a 52-hour-long "nightmare" on the way back to New Zealand, owing to repeated flight delays, fuel shortages and airport chaos. Mr Ahuja called out IndiGo, Qantas and travel agency BYOjet and Changi Airport for what he described as "complete mismanagement and negligence".  

"What was supposed to be a one-week emergency trip to see my grandfather who had been in ICU turned into a 52-hour nightmare journey back home to NZ- all thanks to the complete mismanagement and negligence of IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd) Qantas Qantas Business Rewards and BYOjet (a Flight Centre Travel Group New Zealand Centre subsidiary) Changi Airport Group Civil Aviation Authority," Mr Ahuja wrote in his post. 

"I'm not here to rant or defame - but if you're planning to book with these companies, please read this. This is a call for action, accountability, and decency in how passengers are treated," he added. 

Mr Ahuja shared that his ordeal began on April 11. "My grandfather was in ICU, on a ventilator, after a heart attack, stroke, and pneumonia 1-2 weeks ago. Time was critical. My flights from Christchurch to Melbourne and Melbourne to Singapore were fine," he said. However, what followed was an unexpected delay that changed the entire course of this trip. 

Mr Ahuja said that first, his IndiGo flight from Singapore to Delhi got delayed by more than 10 hours. During this time, "passengers were mistreated, given no support, no certainty and no care," he said. 

"We had no choice but to book a last-minute flight with Singapore Airlines, spending $2,400 NZD (approximately Rs 1,22,412) just to get to Delhi in time. We had to pay the price for their chaos," he added. 

The return was worse. Mr Ahuja said that BYOJet never properly confirmed their itinerary. "we didn't even know we were flying on the 20th instead of the 19th until the day before 11th April," he wrote, adding that they made it to Delhi airport four hours early. 

"There were just three counters open for all IndiGo flights. It took us two hours just to check in. The flight was delayed again. We sat in the plane, in uncomfortable seats, without air conditioning, waiting to take off," Mr Ahuja said.

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The onboard experience was no better. "The only meal on a 6+ hour flight? A cucumber and cheese sandwich, mango juice, and a few makhanas. Unbelievable," he said. 

"Then came the most shocking part of this entire ordeal," Mr Ahuja wrote. He said that mid-air passengers were informed that they didn't have Air Traffic Control clearance to land in Singapore, and the aircraft didn't have enough fuel to keep flying. The had to make an emergency landing in Kuala Lumpur. 

"We were kept on the plane in KL for 2 hours, then flown to Singapore - nearly 9 hours after leaving Delhi. Meanwhile, our Qantas connecting flight to Melbourne had already left. 20+ of us missed it, and it wasn't held," he wrote. 

Mr Ahuja was then rebooked - 25 hours later. But even after reaching Chnagi Airport four hours early for the next flight to Sydney, his nightmare still wasn't over. "On April 21st, we arrived at Changi Airport 4 hours before our new flight to Sydney. After waiting in line for 15 minutes, the Qantas ground staff gave us one final slap in the face". The airline told him "On April 21st, we arrived at Changi Airport 4 hours before our new flight to Sydney. After waiting in line for 15 minutes, the Qantas ground staff "told us that since we were travelling to New Zealand, we needed a return ticket. They refused to issue our boarding passes with NZ Immigration clearance," he said. 

Despite showing proof of permanent residency, their passports and tickets were taken away. They were held until clearance came through, he said. "I broke down. I truly asked myself - why did I ever book with Qantas?" he wrote. 

"It wasn't a vacation. This was a medical emergency, and we were failed at every step. This cost us not just money, but mental peace, time off work, and dignity," he said as he concluded his post.

In the comments section, IndiGo responded saying, "Mr Ahuja, we sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to you. Please share your contact details with us via DM so we may get in touch to address this."