Eclan,
You wrote:
Presumably they were mainly Indians?
Who do you mean by "they"? The passengers stuck aboard QF009, which was operating from YMML via WSSS to EGLL?
Why do you posit that "they were mainly Indians"? I would think they were more likely to be Poms and Aussies rather than NRIs or PIOs.
You don't get into India without a visa, full stop. If QF009 dropped in during the dark hours you would need several hours to get anyone who could do anything meaningful in the bureacracy, out of bed. If it was a simple matter of drop in, unload a sick punter and zoom off again, with everyone else staying airside, then fewer problems. But once you've ascertained that:
a) the a/c is u/s;
b) there is no spare a/c nearby;
c) you'll therefore need to get a spare a/c flown in;
d) this will certainly take the current crew out of hours,
- then you are looking at offloading. At which point it's best to keep the punters on the a/c as you then know where they are.
Don't forget VIDP is not a QF station so there would be sod-all capacity on the ground to get things sorted.
Punters are whingeing about no info coming out of the Rat - probably because there wasn't any until the local officials got out of bed. Not QF's fault.
I don't think the cricket would've come into it.