Chaos at Ngp airport as airlines cancel, delay flight services

 

 

A storm of operational glitches and shortage of staff turned the city’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport into a hotspot of frustration for air travellers on Thursday. After four outbound services were abruptly called off on Wednesday, the situation further deteriorated on Thursday when an additional six departures were scrapped, leaving hundreds of passengers scrambling for alternatives.

 

The cancellations have hit routes that link Nagpur with major hubs such as Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Indore and Kolkata. While the two-day tally represents a relatively small fraction of the airport’s daily schedule, the impact has been magnified because roughly a third of all movements at the facility are handled by a single carrier - IndiGo. In total, about thirty flights – close to sixty percent of the day’s departures – were either cancelled outright or delayed significantly. Beyond the outright cancellations, a number of other services experienced lengthy postponements. The digital check-in infrastructure at several airports across the country, including Nagpur, was severely affected, forcing the staff to revert to manual processing. This not only slowed boarding, but also caused a domino effect, with many travellers missing connecting flights and losing precious hours.

 

The ripple effect left numerous passengers stranded at the terminal, many of whom voiced their discontent publicly. “We were left standing in the lounge for hours, missing important meetings and incurring extra costs,” said one frustrated traveller, who preferred anonymity. The discontent went viral, prompting a swift response from the Nag Vidarbha Chamber of Commerce (NVCC). Farooq Akbani, President of the NVCC, expressed deep concern over the turmoil, emphasizing that the disruptions have caused “significant hardship for local businesses and commuters alike”. He urged authorities to take immediate action to restore normal operations and to hold the airlines accountable for the upheaval.

 

Hemant Sarda, Secretary of the chamber, highlighted that the majority of flights operating from Nagpur are run by one airline, which he said has been particularly affected by crew shortages and technical hiccups. The NVCC has issued a formal statement condemning the situation and calling for punitive measures against carriers that cancel or delay flights without valid justification. Sachin Puniyani, Treasurer of the chamber, appealed to the Government to enforce stricter penalties and to ensure that affected travellers receive appropriate compensation for their losses.