No Go for IndiGo: J&K continues to remain hit for 2nd day

Srinagar, Dec 6: Casting a long shadow over Kashmir skies, IndiGo’s blue tailspin left Jammu and Kashmir flyers stranded and seething on Saturday.

The second day of mass cancellations battered air travel in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, terminals congested, fares skyrocketing, and the government demanding answers.

On Saturday, the embattled airline IndiGo said that its single-day flight cancellations across India had fallen below the 850 mark, a considerable decline compared to the mass flight cancellations witnessed on Friday.

However, operational disruptions of country’s largest airline, like rest of the cities, continued to badly impact air travel to J&K as well.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director, Srinagar International Airport, Javed Anjum said that of the 14 scheduled IndiGo flights to Srinagar, half of its air traffic was hit on Saturday.

“For the second day of major cancellations, seven flights of IndiGo did not operate, but nine of its other flights landed here. There has been a lot of uncertainty among flyers. We are trying our best to keep passengers well-informed and ensure smooth handling at the airport,” Anjum said.

Of the total 32 flights to Srinagar, 18 IndiGo flights from various destinations were scheduled.

However, early in the morning, a Srinagar Airport spokesman in a statement said that all scheduled IndiGo flights to the summer capital were cancelled.

Besides IndiGo, one flight of another private airline was also cancelled on Saturday at the Srinagar Airport.

Meanwhile, chaotic scenes were witnessed at the airport, which also led to mob anger.

Both tourists and locals were seen at the receiving end of flight disruptions.

Delhi resident Arjun Singh, who makes music videos and had completed the shooting schedule in Kashmir on Friday, was left in a lurch as the flight on which he and his two colleagues were scheduled to travel got cancelled.

“We were here for a film shoot, and after finishing it, we checked out of the hotel this morning. The flight cancellation is quite a dampener. When we are checking airfares for other flights now, it is showing a Srinagar to Delhi flight costing on other airlines above Rs 15,000,” Singh said.

The fiasco caused by the IndiGo flight cancellations reached a point where even Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed deep concern over the travel chaos caused by the ongoing airline issues.

The office of Chief Minister on its X handle said that back-to-back cancellations were a matter of concern.

The situation at Jammu airport was considerably better on Saturday, as only three flights of IndiGo were cancelled, while seven flights of the same airline operated.

However, the backlog of passengers resulted in massive congestion at both Srinagar and Jammu airports.

Director, Jammu Airport, Devender Yadav, said that the flight schedule which the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had received from IndiGo for Sunday (December 7) mentions that 11 flights of this airline to Jammu have been slotted.

However, Yadav said the actual situation will be clear only on Sunday morning.

“As per the IndiGo schedule we have received, there are 11 flights scheduled, but we can give a final picture only on Sunday morning,” Yadav said.

Meanwhile, the corporate office of IndiGo in New Delhi issued a statement saying it was working determinedly to bring its operations back on track across the network.

“Our teams are focused on stabilising schedules, reducing delays, and supporting customers through this period. Today, the number of cancellations has dropped below 850 flights, much lower compared to yesterday. We are continuing to work towards reducing this number progressively over the next few days,” IndiGo said in the statement. “We are addressing all customer refunds on priority. We are also working closely with all airports and partners to ensure timely updates are provided to customers at terminals, on our website, and via direct notifications. We strongly urge our customers to check the latest flight status before proceeding to the airport, as we are diligently working to add more resilience to our processes. For refund assistance, please visit https://www.goindigo.in/refund.html or contact our customer support.”