47 flights operate to and from Mumbai amid cancellations, chaos over rules

After almost two months, commercial flight operations began in Mumbai on Monday morning, with the departure and arrival of 47 flights at the Chhatrapati Shivaji

After almost two months, commercial flight operations began in Mumbai on Monday morning, with the departure and arrival of 47 flights at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). The first flight left for Patna at 6.45am, while a flight from Lucknow was the first arrival at 8.20am. Both the flights were operated by IndiGo.

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Mumbai airport, which used to handle 950 flights daily, has been shut from March 25, except for evacuation and Covid-related cargo operations. Of the 47 flights, eleven flights were operated to and from Delhi. The rest were either to/from or both to Kochi, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Bangalore, Patna, Calicut, Diu, Lucknow, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Allahabad and Jaipur. A total of 4,852 passengers (3,752 departing passengers and 1,100 arriving passengers) were flown to and from the airport on Monday. The highest passenger load was seen on the departure to Delhi route. Senior airport officials said the airport also handled a few non-scheduled flights, Vande Bharat and cargo flights, taking the total number of flights operated to 84.

However, there was confusion owing to last-minute changes in flight schedules, as a result of differences between the Centre and state governments. The restrictions on the number of flights placed by some states also led to cancellation of scheduled services.

Sudhanshu Pandey, who was on an official trip to Mumbai and was stuck for two months, booked a seat on an 8am flight to Delhi. “It was only at 6.30am when I entered the check-in area that I learnt that the flight was cancelled. I had booked three cabs in advance so I don’t face issues while travelling to the airport. This is the second time that my air ticket money is blocked.”

Sources confirmed that the airport will run 44 flights on Tuesday and 50 on Wednesday.

Jammu resident Prashant Sharma, who has been stuck in Mumbai after an event in March, said, “I want to leave Mumbai as I am facing issues with my accommodation. Although I am currently staying at a friend’s home, the housing society members had made it clear to me that I won’t be given entry on the society premises if the flight is cancelled. I have not received payment for the event and have lost ₹12,000 only in booking my tickets.”

Flier Devendra Nath Tripathi tweeted, ‘We are at the Mumbai Airport for AI-809 and have no confirmation for the flight. Air India online status shows flight on time.. ground reality is grim.. no cabs to return.. no water despite boarding pass. Terrible management by #AirIndia.”

Ashwini Pandey, a banker and a resident of Chennai, had purchased tickets of four airlines to reach Mumbai, but all the four flights were cancelled. “I have to join work urgently on June 10. Only if I reach Mumbai now, can I join my new office after finishing my quarantine period. Two flights got cancelled today and two flights that were scheduled on Tuesday too have been cancelled”

Rishi Goel, a Shimla resident who works in Mumbai, said he wanted to return as his wife delivered during the lockdown. Goel could board his Chandigarh-bound flight, but termed the experience troublesome. He said, “My airline first messaged me that my flight was cancelled and then sent an updated message that my flight was on time. Their website however continued to show my flight to be cancelled. It was only at 3am that the airline website was updated with my flight status and I could take off at 9am.”

It was however a happy day for Mohammad Ansari who could reach Allahabad to celebrate Eid. “I had enquired about my flight status a day before departure. As the flight was on time, I reached the airport and took off on time.”

“Resumption of flights from May 25 has caused a lot of chaos. The problem for passengers began with individual states rolling out their guidelines relating to the operations of airports and post-travel quarantine rules. Only a fraction of flights from some of the busiest airports resulted in a spike in cancellations with a majority of travellers uncertain,” said Nishant Pitti, co- founder, easemytrip.com

“All arriving passengers will be stamped on their left hand for identification and will have to undergo compulsory home isolation for seven days as per the protocol by the municipal corporation. Passengers who are coming in for a short duration and have planned a return or onward journey will have to share the details and will be exempted from isolation. Furthermore, the airport has created temporary isolation centres in case any passenger shows symptoms of the virus during the screening,” said an MIAL spokesperson.

Maharashtra government issues guidelines

14-day self-isolation is mandatory on arrival in the state. Domestic travellers arriving in Mumbai will have to isolate themselves at home after being stamped at the airport, while those leaving the state in seven days have been exempted from isolation, but can’t enter containment zones. Travellers will have to submit a self-declaration at the airport on arrival, stating that he/she will not be staying in containment zone and was not under quarantine. He/she will also have to declare that he/she has no fever and will be liable for penal action for travelling without meeting the eligibility criteria. Passengers moving outside red zones to take domestic flights will have to take prior permission which will be given for specific reasons only. For international travellers arriving in the state, the first seven-day quarantine will be at a hotel with the expenses to be borne by the passenger. The next 7-day isolation will be at his/her home.