Aerobridge operators go on strike at T3, flights delayed

Thousands of passengers were stuck after normal operations came to a halt at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Thursday due to a flash strike called by aerobridge operators.

Thousands of passengers were stuck after normal operations came to a halt at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Thursday due to a flash strike called by aerobridge operators.

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The trouble started at 9pm on Thursday after workers who handle aerobridges at Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport went on a sudden strike.

All flights at the state-of-the-art Terminal 3 are handled by aerobridges, unlike Terminal 1D where buses are used to ferry passengers to parked aircraft.

The strike affected peak night hour traffic movement when most international flights operate from the airport.

The private airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) started using buses and step-ladders to transport passengers to their respective aircraft but the paucity of enough buses or ladders meant that majority of flights got delayed by hours.

“I have been stuck at the airport for the last three hours and there is absolutely no information on why flights are not taking off and I don’t know what to do,” said Pankaj Sharma, a passenger who was travelling to London.

A DIAL official said that the issue was being resolved with the aerobridge operators so that operations could be resumed.

Sources said that the aerobridge operators have gone on an indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries.