IndiGo trips hundreds of passengers at Imphal Airport

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 5 : The ongoing flight cancellations by IndiGo Airlines have caused major disruption at Imphal Airport too, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and frustrated.
The situation is further exacerbated by the already steep and rising costs of air travel from Imphal, making it an even more stressful experience for travellers.
According to FlightRadar24, a flight tracking app, as many as 12 IndiGo flights scheduled for today (December 5) were cancelled.
Among the cancelled flights were six arrivals viz two Kolkata-Imphal flights, one Shillong-Imphal flight, two Delhi-Imphal flights, and one Guwahati-Imphal flight.
For departures, the cancelled flights included two Imphal-Kolkata flights, two Imphal-Delhi flights, one Imphal-Guwahati flight and one Imphal-Shillong.
Additionally, two Imphal-Delhi flights were cancelled yesterday.
The Sangai Express contacted an IndiGo staff member stationed at Imphal Airport, who confirmed that all IndiGo flights scheduled for today had been cancelled.
While a number of passengers at Imphal Airport were visibly distressed, the flight cancellations hit hard two siblings from Kongpal Khaidem Leikai, who were unable to attend their grandmother’s funeral after their Delhi-Imphal flight was cancelled.
As the flights were abruptly cancelled without prior notice, hundreds of passengers got stranded at the airport. Many of those affected were travelling for urgent reasons, including medical emergencies, family matters, and business commitments.
The disruption was even more stressful as the affected air passengers were unable to obtain alternative flights, leading to heated arguments between airport staff and the passengers.
This comes at a time when National Highways have been inaccessible for the Meeteis since May 3, 2023, due to the ongoing crisis in Manipur.
The disruption is having a significant impact on the Meitei community, as the highways in Manipur remain inaccessible to them since May 3, 2023.
Moreover, the widespread cancellation of flights at a time when the highways in Manipur remain closed to the Meitei has brought into focus the need for immediate intervention of the Government.
Though this paper could not independently verify whether the widespread flight cancellations will affect air ticket prices, fares for Imphal flights remain high.
For instance, the price of an Imphal-Guwahati flight for December 7, 8, and 9 with Air India Express was listed as high as Rs 9,999 on the popular ticketing site MakeMyTrip.
This is despite Air India Express's earlier assurance that it would cap the Imphal-Guwahati flight fare at Rs 6,000.
Fares for Imphal-Kolkata and Imphal-Delhi flights for the next few days, on the other hand, are listed at more than Rs 30,000.
With highways inaccessible, the only viable option for Meeteis to travel to other States has been air travel despite the steep prices and the situation has highlighted the broader challenges being faced by the people here.
It is reported that Friday (December 5) recorded the highest number of flight cancellations across the country, with over 750 flights affected, compared to 550 on Thursday and 85 on Wednesday.
Amid the disruptions, IndiGo on Friday announced that it would offer full refunds for all flights cancelled between December 5 and 15 which will be processed automatically to the original mode of payment, reports India Today.
In a post on X, the airline said that it has provided a complete waiver on cancellations or rescheduling during this period and to ease passenger inconvenience, thousands of hotel rooms and surface transport options have been arranged, along with food and snacks at airports.
The carrier said that in addition, lounge access is being offered to senior citizens wherever possible. IndiGo also apologised to travellers, saying that it was deeply sorry for the flight meltdown that has triggered widespread chaos at all major airports in the country.
Meanwhile, the authorities at Imphal Airport have apologized for the flight cancellations, explaining that several airlines, particularly IndiGo, are currently adjusting their flight schedules due to the newly implemented Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations across the country.
They noted that as a result, some flights may experience delays or cancellations at airports Nationwide.
Requesting patience, support, and cooperation from passengers with both the airlines and airport ground staff during this challenging period, they assured passengers that they remain committed to keeping them informed and ensuring a seamless travel experience.
Notably, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Thursday admitted that the airline is going through severe operational turbulence, saying immediate priority remains to stabilise services and restore punctuality, even as achieving that "is not an easy target".
In an internal message to employees, Elbers admitted that IndiGo, India's largest carrier, has fallen short of delivering a satisfactory travel experience in recent days amid widespread disruptions that triggered passenger frustration.
The airline has been reeling under a wave of cancellations and delays, with more than 300 flights cancelled on Thursday alone and many others running late through the day.
Elbers said the crisis was fuelled by a combination of operational challenges that escalated simultaneously - minor tech issues, schedule adjustments, adverse weather, increased congestion across the aviation ecosystem, and the rollout of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.
The Government on Friday put in abeyance the new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules for pilots and expects IndiGo's flight schedules to completely normalise by Monday.
"The FDTL orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect. Without compromising on air safety, this decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers, especially senior citizens, students, patients, and others who rely on timely air travel for essential needs," Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Friday.
The Government has also decided to institute a high-level inquiry into this disruption. " The inquiry will examine what went wrong at Indigo, determine accountability wherever required for appropriate actions, and recommend measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future, ensuring that passengers do not face such hardships again," the ministry said in a statement.