Domestic flight resumed operations today after two months since the nation went into lockdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus. However, the wait is not yet over. As per the reports, more than 80 arrival and departure flights from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) have been cancelled. There was chaos and confusion at the airports in Mumbai, Delhi, and other cities as a number of flights got cancelled, and passengers complained that they were not notified by the airlines.
Reportedly, as many as 82 flights to and from Delhi have been cancelled, where furious passengers at the IGI Airport claimed that they were not informed till the last minute. Referring to this, the airport officials stated that the cancellations were mainly due to several states not agreeing to operate flights, which was agreed upon earlier.
West Bengal Government stated that it will resume flight operations from May 28, whereas Andhra Pradesh Government mentioned that it will start domestic flight operations from May 26. Also, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have restricted flight movements to 25 flights (Chennai) and 25 incoming and 25 outgoing flights (Mumbai). At the Chennai Airport, there were many passengers who said that their tickets have been cancelled.
Northeast also witnessed disruptions of flights, with all flights to Dibrugarh, Agartala, Aizawl, and Silchar cancelled as the Kolkata airport has not become functional yet. West Bengal, being devasted by Cyclone Amphan, has asked for more time to resume the flight operations.
Reports of more cancellations from other states can also emerge, as many states have either deferred resuming flight operations, whereas some have put a cap on the number of incoming and outgoing flights on a daily basis.