Day 7: Disruptions continue 143 flights cancelled at IGI

At the arrivals section in Terminal 1, unclaimed baggage was lined up for passengers to sift through.

Confusion at the Indira Gandhi International airport continued on Monday after 143 flights were cancelled, including 83 departures and 60 arrivals, leaving thousands of passengers stranded as they tried to reschedule flights, get refunds, and track down baggage missing for days.

Baggage piles up at T1 at IGI Airport as more flights got cancelled. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

“Not only did my flight to Tiruchirappalli on December 5 get cancelled, but so did the rescheduled flights on December 6, December 7 and on Monday. Now they have given me a fourth rescheduled flight for Tuesday at 6.30pm,” said 76-year-old R.S. Chandramohan.

He said the repeated cancellations were taking a toll on him owing to his age. “I’m travelling with my wife and sister-in-law, who are 75 and 78. I have heart issues, a hernia and joint pain, all of which have been aggravated by this ordeal. And when we asked IndiGo staff about compensation for accommodation and food, they yelled at us.”

For IGK Chakravarthi, a 37-year-old defence advocate, the cancellations have had professional consequences. “I needed to return to Visakhapatnam on December 6. I’ve now missed time-sensitive work, including filing bail petitions,” he said. With his flight pushed to Tuesday morning and no hotel accommodation offered, he and his partner were preparing to spend the night at the airport. “Hotels are too expensive. We have no choice.”

Some passengers feared career-altering setbacks. “I need to be in Imphal by Wednesday for an exam that could lead to my promotion in the Army,” said an officer, requesting anonymity. “My flight from Mizoram to Imphal via Kolkata got cancelled, and I was diverted to Delhi. I was supposed to reach Imphal on Sunday; now I’ll get there only Tuesday after flying to Kolkata on Monday. But what if those flights also get cancelled? Will IndiGo take responsibility if I miss the exam?”

For others, long-planned trips have unravelled. “Our flight to Jaipur was cancelled, so our hotel bookings and travel plans were ruined,” said 39-year-old Ruchi Mishra, who is on a holiday to India with her children. “We had to cancel Jaipur altogether and take a cab straight to Ranthambore, out next destination. Getting a refund has been difficult while managing kids and luggage at the terminal.”

At the arrivals section in Terminal 1, unclaimed baggage was lined up for passengers to sift through. A security official at the gates said many had come during the day to retrieve their luggage, and some unclaimed bags were being couriered to their owners. Even so, many were still searching.

“My family and I returned from Bangkok to Delhi on November 21 on an IndiGo flight, but one of our suitcases is still missing. We have come to the airport multiple times, written numerous emails, threatened legal action and even filed an FIR with the airport police, but to no avail. The suitcase contains jewellery, shoes and watches, but there is no certainty about where it is, and no updates,” said 27-year-old Smriti Arora at an airline counter in Terminal 3.

A woman waiting in line at an IndiGo counter in Terminal 2 said, “My family and I were flying from Chennai to Jammu, but our connecting flight in Delhi was extremely delayed. When we reached Jammu, we found that two of our three suitcases were missing. We returned to Delhi on Sunday, as we need to fly to Hyderabad by Tuesday, and we’re trying to get the luggage sent to Hyderabad.”

She added that she and her husband, who were travelling with an infant, had faced multiple expenses because the missing bags contained essentials such as clothes and diapers.

Those who finally located their luggage said the wait was harrowing. “My son came from Guangzhou to Delhi through Kolkata on December 4, and was assured that his luggage would be put on the flight to Delhi. But after he departed, we got a call saying it was not. We’ve got it back today, after days of calling customer care and being on hold for hours. I’ve lost trust in IndiGo,” said Vijender Kaur, 60, collecting her son’s suitcase on Monday.