'There's A Medical Emergency': Chaos at Airports as Flyers Protest AI Express Flight Cancellations

New Delhi: Air passengers had to face harrowing time as 80 Air India Express flights, domestic and international, were cancelled on Wednesday. For the unversed, scores of Air India Express flights were cancelled after senior crew members of the airline went on a mass sick leave. Despite the airline's assurances of minimizing inconvenience, passengers bore the brunt of the situation. Chaotic scenes unfolded at various airports, captured in videos, as travellers clamoured for explanations and alternative solutions.

“I had to fly to Muscat today morning at around 8 am, but my flight was cancelled. I had to urgently leave for Muscat as there was a medical emergency. After an argument with the airline staff, I was provided with a ticket for tomorrow. The passengers have been informed that there are no tickets till 17th May and a refund will also be provided after 14 days,” said Amrita, a passenger stranded at Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala, who urgently needed to fly to attend to her ailing husband.

DPAP chief and former civil aviation minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was also among those who had to bear the brunt of the flight cancellations. “I was supposed to leave in the morning. But I am now leaving on an IndiGo flight after sitting here for 3-4 hours…If the flights were cancelled, they should have informed us in the morning itself. Why did they fool everyone?…Air India should be shut…Air India’s basic culture is bad, nothing will become of it,” he said.

Videos doing rounds on social media platforms captured passengers venting their frustration at Delhi airport staff as Air India Express abruptly cancelled three flights to Goa, Guwahati, and Srinagar, allegedly failing to offer any alternative solutions. Similar scenes unfolded at Calicut airport, where distressed travellers sought explanations from Air India Express ground staff amidst the chaos.

Another video showed an elderly passenger expressing frustration over the lack of information about their flight to Srinagar.  “They haven’t even provided enough chairs for the passengers to sit and wait. Even the toilets are so far,” she said.

Civil Aviation Seeks Report

Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry sought a report from Air India Express on the cancellation of flights. An official on Wednesday said the ministry has called for a report from Air India Express regarding the cancellation of flights and asked them to resolve issues promptly. The airline has also been advised to ensure facilities to passengers as per DGCA norms.

‘We Sincerely Apologise’

On the other hand, Air India Express also apologised to passengers. “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by unprecedented flight delays and cancellations. While we are working hard to minimise disruptions, please check your flight status before heading to the airport,” the airline said in a statement.

Air India Express to Curtail Flights For a Few More Days

Air India Express will curtail flights for the next few days to cope with non-availability of crew members, its CEO Aloke Singh said. In a message to the airline's staff, Singh said since last evening, more than 100 cabin crew members have reported sick prior to their rostered flight duty, "at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations".

More than 90 flights have been disrupted due to the situation, he added. "The disruptions have cascaded across the network, forcing us to curtail the schedules over the next few days. We had to do this to cope with the non-availability of crew and to recover schedules," Singh said.

Tata Group-owned Air India Express operates around 360 flights daily in the ongoing summer schedule that started in late March.