Darjeeling: The recent cancellation of IndiGo flights has dealt a major blow to the tourism industry. Tourism stakeholders in Darjeeling say they have seen a wave of booking cancellations following the disruption in air connectivity. On Monday, IndiGo cancelled four departures and four arrivals from Bagdogra, deepening the crisis for tourism.
This winter started on a strong note for tourism in the hills. Hotels were fully booked through the first week of Jan. The same trend is being witnessed in Sandakphu, where homestays, trekkers' huts, and other accommodations are already packed for the season. However, the sudden flight cancellations have now put those bookings in uncertainty, raising serious concerns for the tourism sector just when the momentum was building at its peak.
Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network expressed deep concern over the impact of the recent IndiGo flight cancellations. According to Sanyal, the disruptions have led to a significant number of tourists calling off their scheduled visits to the region.
"Nearly 20 Free Independent Travellers have cancelled their trips. In addition, two large groups — one comprising 69 tourists and another with 44 travellers — have withdrawn their travel plans altogether," he said. Sanyal highlighted that most of these tourists were from South India and Western India, regions known for consistently strong visitor turnout in the hills.
Bagdogra airport director Naveed Nazim confirmed that flight disruptions continued on Monday, adding to passenger woes. "Both arrival and departure IndiGo flights — to Hyderabad, Kolkata and two to Delhi were cancelled today. The cancellations have caused considerable inconvenience to travellers. Around 1,400 IndiGo passengers were affected today alone," said Nazim. The airport authorities are closely monitoring the situation, he assured, and efforts are underway to assist stranded passengers with rebooking and support services.
He further added that on Sunday also four IndiGo flights — to Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata — were cancelled. Apart from IndiGo, the SpiceJet service on the Delhi–Bagdogra–Delhi route has also remained suspended since yesterday. Around 1,400 IndiGo passengers were affected today alone, while another 300 passengers faced difficulties due to the SpiceJet cancellation. He said that IndiGo has a total of 22 operations at Bagdogra Airport on a daily basis — 11 arrivals and 11 departures.