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Father's ashes, wedding plans, families: Passengers stuck across India as IndiGo cancellations continue
From families travelling with elderly and differently abled members to foreign tourists, the disruption has triggered a nationwide anxiety.
IndiGo’s massive wave of delays and cancellations over the past three days has plunged airports across India into chaos, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, distressed, and desperate for clarity.
From families travelling with elderly and differently abled members to foreign tourists racing against international flight timings, the disruption has triggered a nationwide anxiety.
In Bhubaneswar, Odisha, frustration spilled over as passengers struggled to get basic support from the airline.
One traveller told ANI, "...We are travelling with a differently abled kid and a senior citizen... The customer care number of IndiGo is not working... The prices of other flight tickets have increased... If tickets have to be cancelled, they are showing non-refundable until these people say that it is their mistake..."
Also Read | Flight fares jump sharply after nationwide IndiGo cancellations
Stranded with ashes, confusion over cancellations
In Bengaluru, Karnataka, Namita stranded at Kempegowda International Airport while travelling for her father’s final rites, described a situation.
“I have my father's 'Asthi' (mortal remains post cremation) with me. I have to reach Delhi from Bengaluru. Board a flight to Dehradun from Delhi to reach Haridwar. The 'Asthi Visarjan' has to be done tomorrow. The flight has been cancelled without any prior notification. Now they are saying that they have no flights for today,” she told ANI.
“They are asking us to book a flight with other airlines. Flight tickets for other flights cost ₹60,000 per person, which I cannot afford... We are not able to reach Haridwar. All our money is wasted. A partial refund will be received after a week. We have no idea how much would be deducted. I request the government to arrange something for me to reach Haridwar because my father's asthi visarjan in Ganga Ji is very urgent,” she added.
Confusion and miscommunication worsened the ordeal in Hyderabad, Telangana.
A passenger described an unprecedented situation: “...I reached the airport in the morning at around 5 am. I went to the Indigo counter. They told me the flight is cancelled. When actually it wasn't cancelled... I showed my boarding pass, and they said yes,” the passenger told ANI.
“I don't know whether they have a sinister plan to get, maybe, some people from yesterday who were stranded, or maybe it is overbooked. I don't know. But I've never heard such a situation in my life. They tell me your flight is cancelled. They sent me home. And the flight is actually not cancelled... Now I have come back, and I'm standing in this long queue,” they added.
Wedding plans, international trips halted
In Goa, passengers said they were left to fend for themselves without updates or support.
One traveller shared, “We were not informed that they are cancelling the flight...We have been awake since 5 am, and we have been waiting here for 2 hours. There is no information and we are standing in the queue for hours and now they are saying that they will not even provide the stay. Tomorrow they are providing us with the flight, we have a wedding to attend. So, it's a total mess...We are really disappointed with IndiGo.”
The complaints echoed across Chennai as well. "My flight is cancelled, and the fare for other flights is too high. The airline is not even providing food or accommodation to the passengers," one IndiGo flyer said.
The disruption has also affected international travelers. At Siliguri in West Bengal, a passenger from Israel recounted the uncertainty of being stranded in a city far from their international departure point.
“I am from Israel, Tel Aviv. We started from Kolkata, and we came here for five days. Now we have to get back to Kolkata because our flight back to Israel is from there. I don't know why they cancelled... Our flight is four hours later... We will get another ticket. We have to get to Kolkata, and I don't know how to do it. I'm not from here... We want a new flight and our money back…,"the passenger told ANI.
