Railways set up helpdesks at Mumbai airports as IndiGo crisis leaves passengers stranded

Pic/PTI

Teams from Western and Central Railway in Mumbai reached both the city's airports - T1 and T2 - on Sunday morning to assist passengers stranded due to the ongoing IndiGo crisis.

"We have set up helpdesks at both airports to guide and assist passengers with information on additional trains and to help them with ticket bookings," Western Railway chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek told Mid-Day.

Indian Railways has introduced 84 special trains to support passengers affected by widespread flight cancellations. These services aim to ease travel for thousands caught in the disruption, with railway zones across the country adding more trains and deploying extra resources.

Since last week, India's civil aviation sector has been grappling with severe disruptions, including cancellations, long delays, and rescheduled flights by IndiGo. The crisis stems largely from a sudden shortage of pilots and crew after the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms issued by the DGCA last year.

The situation has left thousands of passengers facing significant inconvenience, long queues, and inadequate facilities, with many stranded at airports for hours. Travellers have also urged the airline to provide timely updates and better support to reduce hardship.