Woman refuses to board flight after getting boarding pass at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: Tension prevailed in Chennai airport after a woman refused to board the flight to Port Blair after receiving the boarding pass on Wednesday.

Kalpana (35), from the Andaman, had been staying in Tiruchy for a few days to visit her ailing mother. She was scheduled to return to Andaman on an Indigo Airlines flight that was to depart from Chennai at 10:45 am. Her husband and two kids live in Andaman.

Kalpana had already completed web check-in and received her boarding pass. However, moments before entering the security area, she reportedly changed her mind and told her relatives that she did not wish to travel.

Her relatives, who had come to send her off, tried to persuade and escort her into the terminal. At the entry gate, security personnel stopped the group after Kalpana informed them that she was being forced to travel against her will.

CISF officers immediately intervened, stating that no passenger can be compelled to board a flight unwillingly. Following protocol, they cancelled her boarding pass and travel ticket, and allowed her to leave the airport premises.

The Indigo flight to Andaman, which was supposed to depart at 10:45 am with 139 passengers, was delayed by about 30 minutes due to the incident. Kalpana later left for Tiruchy along with her relatives.