Day 7: Disruptions continue 143 flights cancelled at IGI

Confusion at the Indira Gandhi International airport continued on Monday after 143 flights were cancelled, including 83 departures and 60 arrivals, leaving thousands of passengers stranded as they tried to reschedule flights, get refunds, and track down baggage missing for days.

- Aaditya Khatwani

Passengers search through the unclaimed baggage pile at Terminal-1 on Monday for their belongings.

(VIPIN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

"Not only did my flight to Tiruchirappalli on December 5 get cancelled, but so did the rescheduled flights on December 6, December 7 and on Monday. Now they have given me a fourth rescheduled flight for Tuesday at 6.30pm," said 76-year-old R.S. Chandramohan.

He said the repeated cancellations were taking a toll on him owing to his age. "I'm travelling with my wife and sister-in-law, who are 75 and 78. I have heart issues, a hernia and joint pain, all of which have been aggravated by this ordeal. And when we asked IndiGo staff about compensation for accommodation and food, they yelled at us."

For IGK Chakravarthi, a 37-year-old defence advocate, the cancellations have had professional consequences. "I needed to return to Visakhapatnam on December 6. I've now missed time-sensitive work, including filing bail petitions," he said. With his flight pushed to Tuesday morning and no hotel accommodation offered, he and his partner were preparing to spend the night at the airport. "Hotels are too expensive. We have no choice."