Flyers protest after Bhubaneswar flight rescheduled thrice, cancelled
Times of India | 8 July 2024
Kolkata: Passengers demonstrated at Kolkata airport after an Air India express flight headed to Bhubaneswar was rescheduled thrice and was finally cancelled five hours after its original departure time on Saturday, a day before Rath Yatra.
According to sources, the flight was scheduled to depart from Kolkata for Bhubaneswar at 4.15 pm on Saturday. Most of the passengers had arrived on time, completed airport formalities like baggage check in and security checks and were prepared to board the plane when the first announcement came that the flight would not depart at the scheduled time.
Sometime later, it was announced that the flight would leave Kolkata for Bhubaneswar at 8.05 pm.The continued delay caused inconvenience and anxiety among the passengers, leading to growing frustration. As the new departure time approached, eager passengers gathered around the boarding gate when a fresh announcement was made that the flight would be further delayed and was set to leave at 9.40 pm.
Passengers kept waiting for another one-and-half hours before a final announcement was made around 9.30pm that the flight was cancelled leading to an outburst of anger among the passengers. They demonstrated at the airport till late on Saturday.
Airline authorities said the aircraft that was to fly from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata has developed a glitch at the Odisha airport. The glitch was repaired around 9pm but since flights can’t land at Bhubaneswar post midnight, there was no time left for the airline to fly the aircraft to Kolkata and bring the passengers back.
“Our Kolkata-Bhubaneswar flight on July 6 experienced a delay due to a technical issue. Post-rectification, the flight could not operate as Bhubaneswar airport’s wat ch-hour facility was unavailable beyond 2400 hrs. We offered various service recovery options based on their preferences, including alternative transportation, rebooking on other airlines, travel on today’s Bhubaneswar flight, hotel accommodations, and full refunds. We regret the inconvenience caused to our guests and appreciate their understanding and patience,” said an airline spokesperson.