Mumbai Airport faced major disruptions with 66 flights cancelled on Sunday, adding to the 107 cancellations on March 3. The ongoing West Asia conflict is cited as the reason, leaving passengers stranded and complaining of poor airport facilities.
Mumbai Airport experienced significant disruption on Sunday with a total of 66 air traffic movements (ATMs) being cancelled, according to source-based information. The cancellations included 32 arrivals and 34 departures.
West Asia Conflict Disrupts Flights
Earlier on March 3, a total of 107 ATMs were cancelled at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport as the West Asia conflict continued to disrupt flight operations, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded, with many complaining about a lack of facilities.
Passengers Stranded at Airport
A stranded passenger told ANI that his family was going for Umrah and had a flight on March 1, which was rescheduled due to the situation in the Middle East. "My family and I were going for Umrah and had a flight on March 1st, which was rescheduled due to the situation in the Middle East. It is now scheduled for this evening," the passenger said.
Another passenger who came from Chapra to Mumbai said his Dubai flight was cancelled at night, and he has been sleeping on the floor."I came from Chapra to Mumbai. I had a flight to Dubai, and at night I came to know that the flight was cancelled. There is no facility at the airport, so I am sleeping on the floor. We need a place to sleep, to stay and to eat," he said.
Government Response and Monitoring
According to an official statement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it is closely monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia that is affecting air travel between India and the region. The ministry said airlines are making necessary operational adjustments in view of prevailing conditions to ensure passenger safety and the orderly conduct of flight operations.
As per the official statement, passenger movement data for March 5 shows that a total of 40 inbound flights operated by Indian carriers arrived in India from the West Asia region, carrying 7,205 passengers. With this, the cumulative number of passenger arrivals from the region has reached 14,992.
The ministry further said that for March 6, 2026, a total of 51 flights are planned to be operated by Indian carriers, subject to operational feasibility and prevailing conditions in the region. According to the statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is in continuous contact with airlines and is also closely monitoring airfares to ensure that there is no undue surge in ticket prices during this period. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)