Bollywood actor and humanitarian Sonu Sood has made a public appeal for compassion and patience towards airline staff, as budget carrier IndiGo grapples with a massive operational meltdown that has led to the cancellation of nearly a thousand flights and widespread delays across its network.
Sonu Sood's Heartfelt Plea to Passengers
In a video message posted on social media platform X, Sonu Sood directly addressed frustrated travellers. He emphasised that the ground staff and counter personnel are not responsible for the cancellations and are themselves bearing the brunt of the chaotic situation. The actor revealed that his own family members were caught in the disruption, spending nearly eight hours at the airport.
"A delayed flight is frustrating, but remember the faces trying to fix it," Sood stated. He urged people to be nice and humble to the IndiGo employees, noting they are also carrying the weight of the cancellations. He described feeling very bad for the staff who were facing public anger and abuse from passengers.
The Human Face of the Crisis: Staff Under Pressure
Sood highlighted the difficult conditions faced by airline employees during the crisis. He pointed out that the person at the check-in counter is an employee like anyone else, often stuck at the airport for many hours without proper access to food or water, while constantly absorbing the frustration and anger of stranded passengers.
"They were shouting at them, abusing them… I really felt very bad," the actor shared, recounting what he witnessed. His core message was clear: shouting at staff will not solve anything, and cooperation and politeness can lead to faster resolutions. He urged passengers to talk to staff with a smile the next time they face a delay or cancellation.
Scale of the IndiGo Operational Disruption
The context for Sood's appeal is a severe operational crisis at India's largest airline. IndiGo, which operates around 2,300 flights daily, has been cancelling hundreds of flights over four consecutive days. The primary issue cited is a struggle to secure adequate crew to operate its extensive network.
The situation reached a peak with the airline cancelling all domestic flights departing from Delhi Airport until Friday midnight. IndiGo acknowledged that this was its most severely affected day, with cancellations exceeding the 1,000 mark. Reports from airports like Ahmedabad indicated 7 arrivals and 12 departures were cancelled in a single day.
A Dual Message: To Passengers and to the Airline
While his primary appeal was directed at passengers, Sonu Sood also concluded his message with a note to the airline's management. He requested IndiGo to look into the matter and try to resolve the issues as soon as possible, acknowledging that a great number of people are suffering due to the travel chaos.
The disruption has drawn criticism from industry bodies as well, with the Air Line Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) slamming the aviation regulator DGCA for what it called 'selective and unsafe' relief provided to IndiGo. Meanwhile, Delhi airport authorities have stated that IndiGo's flight operations are steadily resuming, offering a glimmer of hope for normalcy.
