IndiGo flight disruptions cause chaos, passengers stranded at airports

IndiGo's nationwide operations face severe disruption, leading to widespread delays and cancellations. Passengers at Jammu, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad report frustration over long waits, lack of clarity, and missed connections amid the chaos.

Passengers across multiple airports continued to face significant inconvenience on Thursday as IndiGo's nationwide operations remained severely disrupted due to large-scale delays and cancellations.

Passenger Frustration Across Airports

At Jammu airport, passengers expressed frustration as flights to Delhi were repeatedly delayed. One passenger said, "My flight from Jammu to Delhi has been delayed by around 4 hours. I don't know if the flight will go today." Another passenger added, "The flight to Delhi, which was initially scheduled for 1030 hours, has been rescheduled to 1530 hours."

In addition, passengers in Ahmedabad also complained about the airline's lack of clarity. A passenger, Mukesh Kumar Jaiswal, said, "They said that your flight is delayed by 4 hours. He told me my flight would be here at 8 PM, but that's not final... They just told me to wait."

Furthermore, at Mumbai airport, passengers reported major disruptions and alleged mismanagement. A passenger, Sanjay, said, "They are saying that IndiGo has been reporting glitches for the past 2 days. The software update in Airbus is causing these glitches, so their schedule has changed... IndiGo isn't taking any care of its customers... I missed my connecting flight due to the delay. I tried calling the Aviation Ministry, but no one answered."

Another passenger, Jumman Ali Khan, highlighted a personal crisis amid the delays. He said, "My brother passed away yesterday... The ticket prices are Rs 36,000, Rs 38,000, and Rs 40,000. But we are poor. His parents are sitting here... We are not even getting a flight... The parents are not able to go."

Pilot Federation President Details Reasons for Disruption

Amid widespread flight disruptions, Captain CS Randhawa, President of the Federation of Indian Pilots, detailed multiple reasons behind the situation. Speaking to ANI at Mumbai Airport, Randhawa said, "Indigo operates approximately 2,200 flights all over India."

Crew Shortage

He said the first major cause was staff shortage. "Most of these flight disruptions, cancellations, and delays have been attributable to, firstly, the crew shortage," he stated.

Aircraft Induction Without Adequate Crew

Randhawa also pointed to aircraft induction without adequate manpower preparation. "Secondly, they have been inducting aircraft. It must be appreciated that when you induct an aircraft, you must have an adequate number of crews per aircraft," he said.

Inappropriate Pilot Rostering

He further flagged issues in pilot scheduling. "Thirdly, Indigo pilots were flying about 55 to 57 hours. After 1st November, they offered pilots the option to buy back their leave... The crew rostering of the pilots was totally inappropriate. They did not plan the crews correctly," he added.

Further updates are awaited. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)