Say airline informed them at last minute, no clarity amid delays and cancellations; Passengers at the airport’s Terminal 1 (T1) were seen crowding at the IndiGo counter, enquiring about alternate flights, refunds or hotel arrangements for those who didn’t have a place to stay in Mumbai
A long queue is seen at the IndiGo counter outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s Terminal 1 on Wednesday evening. PICS/MADHULIKA RAM KAVATTUR
Passengers catching domestic flights operated by Indian airline IndiGo faced multiple issues on Wednesday. Sources from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport told mid-day that by early evening, around 10-12 IndiGo flights had been cancelled, and many more delayed. Passengers at the airport’s Terminal 1 (T1) were seen crowding at the IndiGo counter, enquiring about alternate flights, refunds or hotel arrangements for those who didn’t have a place to stay in Mumbai.
Passenger Speak
Lalmuansangi Ralte, who was scheduled to leave from Mumbai airport to Lengpui Airport in Aizawl, Mizoram, at 7.20 am on Wednesday, received a message from IndiGo on Thursday night informing her that her flight had been cancelled. The airline also informed her that her journey has been rescheduled on a December 10 flight.
“I have quit my job in Mumbai, and was going back home. I booked a ticket for Wednesday because it worked best for me, but now IndiGo has rescheduled it for a week later, without consulting me. I’m trying to get the ticket cancelled so I can book another ticket,” said Ralte. The alternate flight that the airline booked for Ralte is not only a week away from now, but also is a 16-hour flight with a stop in Kolkata, which Ralte says she is not comfortable with.
Another man waiting in line with Ralte, Zubair Rakhange was flying to Vijayawada for work. “The IndiGo employee sitting at the desk at T1 told us that since our flight was not cancelled, they could book us a flight to Bangalore, and then a bus from Bangalore to Vijayawada. Now we are trying to see if another option is available because we are already very late for our work there,” he said. Rakhange was notified about the cancellation a few hours before his flight, which left him with little time to find alternative direct flights.
“This is literally the worst thing that happened. We have been roaming around from T2 to T1 because the airline changed the terminal, and in the last three hours, our flight has been delayed three times,” said Sameer Balekar.
Balekar was flying to Chennai for work and was informed at the last minute that his flight departure had been moved from T2 to T1. “Now, after I came and stood in the line for a while and waited for my turn to come, I got to know that my flight is from the T2; so now I’m going back there,” he added.
Several passengers complained that they were not informed about the delays and cancellations. A passenger requesting anonymity said, “We got to know about the flight’s delay 90 minutes before the scheduled departure. We were in Mumbai for a wedding and left immediately after for the flight. If we had known about the delay in advance, we would have left later and enjoyed some more time with family.”
Another issue that this family and many others faced was the fact that they were not allowed inside the terminal building. The passenger added, “Since our flight has now been delayed to 8 pm, from around 3.30 pm, the security at the terminal entry told us that we won’t be able to enter so early. We are planning to go back to our relatives’ and return later.”
A passenger flying to Hyderabad said, “I am booking a bus ticket and leaving now because I need to be back in Hyderabad as soon as possible, and IndiGo has offered only a refund as no flights to Hyderabad are available right now.” Almost all the passengers who had their tickets cancelled and couldn’t find alternate flights have started looking into bus and train tickets to reach their destination.
Official Speak
An IndiGo spokesperson acknowledged and apologised for the operational issues seen on Tuesday and Wednesday, saying, “A multitude of unforeseen operational challengers, including minor technology glitches, scheduled changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system, and the implementation of updated crew roistering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations) had a negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was no feasibility anticipated.”
To contain disruptions and restore stability, the airline has initiated calibrated schedule adjustments that will remain in place for 48 hours, allowing it to normalise operations and restore punctuality. The airline has issued a statement asking customers to check their flight status on the IndiGo website before heading to the airport.
Schedules affected on Wednesday
>> Mumbai-Jodhpur
>> Mumbai-Adampur (Punjab)
>> Mumbai-Lucknow
>> Mumbai-Rajkot
>> Mumbai-Ahmedabad
>> Mumbai-Kolkata
>> Mumbai-Hyderabad
>> Mumbai-Chennai
While some flights were not cancelled, they faced delays of more than two hours
Voices
Lalmuansangi Ralte
‘I booked a ticket for Wednesday because it worked best for me, but now IndiGo has rescheduled it for a week later, without consulting me’
Zubair Rakhange
‘We are trying to see if another option to Vijayawada is available because we are already very late for our work there’
Sameer Balekar
‘We have been roaming around because the airline changed the terminal, and in the last three hours, our flight has been delayed three times’
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