An Air India Express passenger, who was to get down at Delhi airport, inadvertently continued his journey in the same aircraft to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, and the airline said it is investigating the matter to address any lapses.

A source in the know on Thursday said the male passenger took the flight from Srinagar to Delhi and instead of getting down in the national capital, the person was onboard the flight to Bhubaneswar. Both services were operated by the same aircraft. The matter came to light after the person informed the crew, the source added.

Specific details about the passenger and the aircraft could not be immediately ascertained.

According to TOI sources, the “young man” boarded an AI Express Airbus A320 (VT-EXA) operating on Wednesday as IX 1128 from Srinagar to Delhi. He was to take a connecting flight to Bagdogra.

“Repeated announcements are made asking transit passengers to head to the transfer desk. This aircraft VT-EXA was to operate to Bhubaneswar from Delhi also as IX 1128. For reasons not yet known, like perhaps the young man dozed off, he did not alight from the aircraft in Delhi once it landed here at 3.05 pm,” sources said.

The plane then took off for Bhubaneswar at 3.55 pm. Airlines do a headcount on the number of passengers onboard to tally with their booking before taking off.

However, in this case that was perhaps not done. Enroute, the airline realised there’s an extra passenger on board.

In a statement on Thursday, the airline said that on July 30, a passenger transiting through Delhi on another flight inadvertently continued on the aircraft onward to Bhubaneswar.

"An internal investigation is being conducted to identify and address any lapses, while reiterating SOPs and internal briefings across stations to prevent recurrence," it said.

Generally, airline staff check the boarding passes and baggage of passengers in connecting flights at the particular transit airports as part of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).