‘Tourism industry stares at drop in footfall’
Mapusa: Passengers of the IndiGo airline faced hardship yet again on Friday as flights were cancelled at Manohar international airport, Mopa, and Dabolim airport leaving flyers dazed and confusion.
A long rush was witnessed at Mopa airport as passengers who were to travel came to board their flights. However, they were stranded at the airport after the scheduled flights were cancelled.
One of the passengers at Mopa airport, Harsh Jain, who was supposed to fly back to Mumbai by an Indigo flight at 11.30 am, was stuck at the airport.
“I had gone to the IndiGo office, but nobody was there. CISF jawans did not allow us to enter the airport and told us that all Indigo flights have been cancelled, and that no air passengers can go inside. I have been waiting since 9.30 am and not getting any satisfactory reply from anyone. When I inquired with Air India, I was told that all tickets were sold out. Now, I am likely to miss my connecting flight to Udaipur,” Jain said.
Similar was the plight of the other passengers who had queued up outside the airline office hoping to get some relief.
News agencies reported that IndiGo, the India’s largest airline, cancelled 31 domestic flights from Dabolim airport till noon.
Amid a slew of cancellations, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) advised passengers to check their latest flight status before heading to the airport.
A senior official from AAI, which runs the Dabolim airport, said as of 12 noon, 31 IndiGo flights were cancelled.
The official informed the number of cancellations is going to increase, adding that arrangements have been made in coordination with the private airline for facilitating passengers for cancellations or re-bookings.
The cancelled flights were scheduled to depart for multiple destinations, including Bengaluru, Surat, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Indore, Mumbai and Bhopal,
“IndiGo has reported significant disruptions across its network over the past two days, leading to delays and inconvenience for passengers,” a Dabolim airport statement stated.
“The airline stated that a combination of unforeseen operational challenges, including minor technical glitches, winter-related weather issues, increased air-traffic congestion, and updated crew rostering norms, have affected its flight schedules. To restore stability, IndiGo has introduced calibrated schedule adjustments for the next 48 hours and is working continuously to normalise operations and improve punctuality,” it said.
The airline assured passengers that teams are actively working to minimise discomfort, and those affected are being offered rebooking alternatives or refunds.
Chaotic situation was witnessed outside the Dabolim airport. A group of 22 passengers, slated to fly to Ahmadabad, was stranded after their flight was cancelled.
“We were not informed in advance (about the cancellation). Till late, they were showing the flight was on time and suddenly they sent a message, saying it has been cancelled,” a woman passenger, who was part of the group, told PTI.
She maintained the group members were exploring other modes of transport to reach Ahmadabad.
The flight disruptions have cast a long shadow on Goa’s tourism industry with stakeholders fearing a drop in footfall at a time when tourism season is at its peak in the coastal state.
Jack Sukhija, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, noted IndiGo enjoys more than 60 per cent share in the Indian aviation market and disruptions in its flight operations will have an adverse impact on the tourism industry.
He said the huge disruptions will definitely have an impact on the tourism industry, a key revenue earner for Goa.
“The fact remains that people who want to fly out will still have to stay in. So, it’s not a very positive sign, but sooner the situation stabilises, the better it will be. But for next two-three days, there will be definitely an impact,” Sukhija opined.
