Passengers stuck at Istanbul Airport for two days, Indian Grammy winner Ricky Kej shares experience

On October 18, at around 2:00 p.m. (local time), Lufthansa aircraft LH 754 headed for Bengaluru was diverted due to a medical emergency in Istanbul, Turkey. The passengers became stranded at Istanbul International Airport even though the aeroplane was due to take off after deboarding the person with the emergency and finishing some technical procedures. Ricky Kej, an Indian music composer who has won multiple Grammy Awards, was among the more than 300 passengers.

Passengers have been dissatisfied with the airlines' treatment of the stranded passengers ever since the plane made an abrupt landing. They were scheduled to reach their destination on October 20 in the morning. Since then, the airline has disclosed that the trip would now depart on October 20 at 10:30 PM (India time). As a result, the passengers of Lufthansa would be stuck at the airport for two days.

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On Twitter, Ricky Rej has often criticised airlines for failing to provide accommodations for travellers and said that they 'took Indian passengers for granted.' Last tweet by Ricky said, “Over 31 hours now... Still stranded in Istanbul. Thanks to the utter disregard of Indian passengers by @lufthansa. Still not even a statement, or any info from them. Zero accountability. Shows how much they care. Two nights now without a bed, no access to luggage, etc..”

Over 

— Ricky Kej (@rickykej) October 19, 2022

Why flight made emergency landing?

Tuesday at 1:05 PM, Lufthansa's flight (LH 754) destined for Bangalore, India, departed from Frankfurt, Germany. It was scheduled to arrive in Bangalore at 1:25 AM on Wednesday. However, the aircraft detected a medical problem while it was in Turkish airspace above the Black Sea. The airliner consequently made an emergency landing in Istanbul at 2:00 PM.

According to Zee News, Airlines’ official statement reads, “For safety reasons, the oxygen cylinders used to treat the medical emergency must be replaced before continuing the flight. Unfortunately, this (took) more time than originally expected. The flight continuation from Istanbul to Bangalore is now scheduled for 8 pm local time Wednesday (October 19). Lufthansa deeply regrets the circumstances and is doing everything to minimise the inconveniences for its passengers."

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Passengers are now anticipated to arrive at their destination, Bangalore, India, on Thursday morning due to the exercise's more than 30 hour delay. Passengers have also voiced complaints about negligence and disregard for their needs, Zee News reported.