New Delhi: Choas erupted at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) after Air India Express cancelled more than 80 flights after facing disruptions since last night. A video circulating on the social media platform ‘X’ captured chaotic scenes at the Delhi airport.
As per the caption accompanying the video, the chaos erupted when Air India Express cancelled flights to Goa, Guwahati, and Srinagar at the last moment. The announcement led to a state of confusion and distress among the affected travellers who congregated around the airline counter, visibly upset and demanding an explanation.
Passengers were seen crowding in front of the airline desk. Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, whose Delhi-Srinagar was also cancelled, said, “I was supposed to leave in the morning. But I am now leaving on an IndiGo flight after sitting here for 3-4 hours…If the flights were cancelled, they should have informed us in the morning itself. Why did they fool everyone?…Air India (Express) should be shut…their basic culture is bad, nothing will become of it (sic).”
The passengers’ frustration was evident as they vocally expressed their discontent, with some exclaiming, “Ye kya tareeka hai! Kyu dekh rahe ho aap? Bewakuf bana rakha hai. Paagal bana rakha hai.” The words of the passengers expressed a sense of being deceived and treated unfairly by the airlines and they also questioned how the situation was handled.
“Flight cancellations without consideration for passengers’ urgency are a real problem. They should offer other options or inform people earlier so they can make other plans. Cancelling at the last moment causes a lot of trouble,” a user commented on a viral post. “Airport pe kalesh,” another user commented.
“It must have been cancelled considering the weather. Will there be any problem? There is no need to panic about it,” another user commented in Hindi. Air India, however, has announced the cancellation of over 80 international and domestic flights scheduled from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning. The airline’s spokesperson stated that the cancellations were due to a “mass sick leave” taken by senior crew members.
The spokesperson said on Wednesday, “While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result.” All those passengers affected by flight cancellation will be offered a refund or an option to reschedule their travel with no additional cost as per a spokesperson from Air India Express.
