Flight cancellations and delays leave IndiGo passengers stranded in Mumbai

Passengers catching domestic flights operated by Indian airline IndiGo faced multiple issues on Wednesday Sources from Mumbairsquos Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport told midday that by early evening around 1012 IndiGo flights had been cancelled and many more delayed Passengers at the airportrsquos Terminal 1 T1 were seen crowding at the IndiGo counter enquiring about alternate flights refunds or hotel arrangements for those who didnrsquot have a place to stay in MumbaiPassenger SpeakLalmuansangi Ralte who was scheduled to leave from Mumbai airport to Lengpui Airport in Aizawl Mizoram at 720 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 flightldquoI 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 Irsquom trying to get the ticket cancelled so I can book another ticketrdquo said Ralte The alternate flight that the airline booked for Ralte is not only a week away from now but also is a 16hour flight with a stop in Kolkata which Ralte says she is not comfortable withAnother man waiting in line with Ralte Zubair Rakhange was flying to Vijayawada for work ldquoThe 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 thererdquo he said Rakhange was notified about the cancellation a few hours before his flight which left him with little time to find alternative direct flightsldquoThis 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 timesrdquo said Sameer BalekarBalekar was flying to Chennai for work and was informed at the last minute that his flight departure had been moved from T2 to T1 ldquoNow 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 Irsquom going back thererdquo he addedSeveral passengers complained that they were not informed about the delays and cancellations A passenger requesting anonymity said ldquoWe got to know about the flightrsquos 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 familyrdquoAnother issue that this family and many others faced was the fact that they were not allowed inside the terminal building The passenger added ldquoSince our flight has now been delayed to 8 pm from around 330 pm the security at the terminal entry told us that we wonrsquot be able to enter so early We are planning to go back to our relativesrsquo and return laterrdquoA passenger flying to Hyderabad said ldquoI 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 nowrdquo Almost all the passengers who had their tickets cancelled and couldnrsquot find alternate flights have started looking into bus and train tickets to reach their destinationOfficial SpeakAn IndiGo spokesperson acknowledged and apologised for the operational issues seen on Tuesday and Wednesday saying ldquoA 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 anticipatedrdquoTo 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 airportSchedules affected on Wednesdaygtgt MumbaiJodhpurgtgt MumbaiAdampur Punjabgtgt MumbaiLucknowgtgt MumbaiRajkotgtgt MumbaiAhmedabadgtgt MumbaiKolkatagtgt MumbaiHyderabadgtgt MumbaiChennaiWhile some flights were not cancelled they faced delays of more than two hoursVoicesLalmuansangi RaltelsquoI booked a ticket for Wednesday because it worked best for me but now IndiGo has rescheduled it for a week later without consulting mersquoZubair RakhangelsquoWe are trying to see if another option to Vijayawada is available because we are already very late for our work therersquoSameer BalekarlsquoWe have been roaming around because the airline changed the terminal and in the last three hours our flight has been delayed three timesrsquo