An IndiGo pilot was caught last week lying to passengers about the reason for his Chennai-Madurai flight’s delay. The pilot had said the already delayed flight was running late because the Air Traffic Controller had not cleared it for departure, PTI reported on Tuesday. The commander, however, was unaware that the official was among his passengers.

The air traffic controller immediately called his department and asked them the reason for delay. He was told that the pilot had not even requested for clearance yet.

“The ATC then met the pilot and found that the co-pilot was not in his seat. The pilot was pulled up by the ATC for making a false announcement, blaming the air traffic management team and maligning the reputation of the fraternity,” an official told PTI. The pilot announced his unconditional apology and informed passengers that his co-pilot’s absence had delayed the flight.

IndiGo said the flight was delayed by three minutes, PTI reported. However, there was no mention of any apology from the airline in the report. “Our captain, while monitoring ground frequency, noticed there was ramp and air congestion prevailing on another aircraft and proactively made an announcement citing the same,” IndiGo said.

Officials said the Airports Authority of India asked the airline to refrain from falsely holding the ATC responsible for its delays, prompting IndiGo to issue a directive warning its staffers against such behaviour.

However, IndiGo’s did not rebuke its staff and instead said, “We would have appreciated if the said passenger [ATC] had taken up the issue through a proper channel, instead of intervening with the operating crew before a flight when they need to focus on procedures and safety.”