Extra coach added in Rajdhani Express for next 7 days
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Dec 5: Hundreds of passengers remained stranded and chaotic scenes unfolded at Jammu and Srinagar Airports as IndoGO flights were cancelled today amid nationwide disruption of the airline’s operations due to Pilot-rostering issue.
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Official sources told the Excelsior that 13 IndiGo flights from Srinagar and 11 from Jammu were cancelled, prompting protests from stranded passengers over the airline’s alleged failure to respond to distress calls.
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However, sources added, the remaining flight operation was smooth and other airlines were operating normally.
At Jammu Airport, all 11 IndiGo flights were cancelled today and ‘No Operation Day’ was announced by the airline due to the prevailing crisis.
At Srinagar Airport, the IndiGo was scheduled to operate 36 flights — 18 inbound and 18 outbound. However, owing to rostering issues, the airline cancelled 13 arriving and as many departing flights today.
The cancellations led to protests against the airline by passengers who had turned up at both the airports, resulting in chaos. Moreover, the stranded passengers alleged that neither an explanation, nor any help was provided to them by the concerned authorities.
The passengers, mostly Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims, who had arrived at Jammu Airport from Katra, students and Army personnel, were seen enquiring about the status of the IndiGo flights to reach their destinations.
“We are facing the brunt due to the ongoing crisis and the ticket rates of alternate airlines are skyrocketing, which are almost unaffordable,” said a passenger.
Long queues were witnessed at the inquiry counter, with passengers seeking clarification about the status of their IndiGo flights. “We have been waiting here for two hours for information about the status of our flight, but no satisfactory reply has come from the airline officials. Where would I go? They said it has been cancelled,” Swati, who was scheduled to return to her home in Lucknow after a pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi, said.
At Srinagar Airport, a couple from Kerala visiting the Valley were among those left stranded due to the cancellations. “I checked the flight status in the morning; then, they said the flight was on time. When I came here (airport), they said the flight was cancelled,” the husband, Hidayatullah, said, adding that they had a family function to attend in Kerala, but won’t be able to reach on time.
“I had to reach Delhi yesterday from Kolkata via Srinagar. This was a connecting flight. They (airline officials) told us in Kolkata yesterday that when we reach Srinagar, our flight to Delhi will be ready. But when we came here, they did not help us at all, neither the IndiGo, nor airport authorities,” said another passenger, adding that their flight for today was first rescheduled to 1:15 PM and then cancelled without providing any help.
Meanwhile, in wake of ongoing flight disruptions, Indian Railways has taken an important decision to augment one extra 3rd AC coach of 72 seats in Rajdhani (Jammu-New Delhi 12426/12425) for the next 7 days from December 5th.
“This will enable passengers affected by disruptions in air services to reach their destinations by rail,” said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Uchit Singhal.
IndiGo has reportedly told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it expects to return to normal operations by February 10.
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