Bhubaneswar: Flight disruptions at Biju Patnaik International Airport entered the fourth day and normalcy looks a distant prospect. Saturday’s late-night gains had fuelled hopes of early restoration of services, but Sunday was just the same.
As many as 21 IndiGo flights (11 departures and 10 arrivals) were cancelled on Sunday, four more than Saturday, pushing fliers into further uncertainty. Many opted to stay back in Bhubaneswar hotels, hoping for the situation to improve, while others were forced to because they were yet to get hold of their luggage.
“Passengers arrived anticipating resumption of some flights,” airport director Prasanna Pradhan said. He said the terminal building has been well managed in terms of passenger movement, security-hold, and check-in.
On Sunday, IndiGo operated three of its four Delhi flights. Flights to Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Indore, Guwahati, Raipur and Chennai were also cancelled.
Airport officials said there are three categories of fliers facing harassment. There are those trying to switch to another airline but waiting for prices to drop. They are the ones who do not prefer a train journey. There are those who have been forced to stay back owing to missing luggage and then there are others who are doing the rounds of IndiGo counters daily with the hope of getting their refunds.
“Outside of the terminal there is more hustle and bustle than inside. It doesn’t look like the situation will improve in a day or two. The staffing may get streamlined gradually. In fact, the airline should announce cancellations a day in advance,” said an airport officer.
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