The widespread flight cancellations and delays, primarily involving IndiGo, are creating a domino effect far beyond airport terminals. The operational crisis in the skies is now crippling ground-based industries, with Kolkata's bustling cultural and events sector bearing a significant brunt. From corporate functions and music festivals to the crucial wedding season, meticulously planned schedules are being thrown into disarray as performers, guests, and key personnel remain stranded across the country.
Cultural Calendar in Disarray: Festivals and Performances Cancelled
The city's vibrant arts scene has been directly impacted. The ongoing AMI Arts Festival at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) suffered cancellations on 6 December due to the travel chaos. Two scheduled sessions had to be called off. 'The Legacy of Safdar Hashmi,' featuring artistes Anjum Katiyal, MD Pallavi, and Sunil Shanbag, was one casualty. Another performance, 'Gulabijaan' by Shukla Banerjee, was also cancelled for the same reason.
Event organisers are facing unprecedented logistical nightmares. Rehan Waris, an event organiser, shared an instance where a corporate event was disrupted because the keynote speaker failed to reach Kolkata on time due to a flight delay. Mihir Purswani recounted a severe delay involving singer Rahul Vaidya, who was flying from Goa to Kolkata on Air India for a 9 pm performance. "His flight was delayed... and he arrived much later than expected. We only began around midnight, completely derailing our schedule," Purswani stated.
Peak Wedding Season Thrown into Chaos
The timing of the flight disruptions coincides with the peak wedding season, amplifying the crisis for event planners. Rohit Das, a Kolkata-based event planner managing multiple weddings, revealed the scale of the problem. For one wedding expecting 250-300 guests, nearly 50 to 60 outstation guests could not make it due to flight issues. "A lot of plates went unused and the client had to bear the extra cost," Das explained. He emphasized that even minor delays now have a ripple effect, forcing planners to extend timelines, rearrange ceremonies, and find extra staff at short notice.
The personal and professional toll is significant. Prof Priyadarshini Das, founder of an event management company, faced a dual blow. Professionally, her team was delayed by 12 to 15 hours for an event in Goa. Personally, relatives from Delhi could not attend her cousin's wedding in Kolkata due to flight cancellations. "As event organisers, we definitely face many problems when things crop up at the last moment, even though we always try to keep backup plans," she said.
Broader Logistical Fallout for Businesses
The impact extends beyond just people transportation. Rehan Waris highlighted that sending event merchandise by cargo to Mumbai has also been hampered by similar delays, affecting business timelines. This indicates the disruptions are clogging both passenger and cargo aviation networks, creating a broader supply chain issue for time-sensitive industries.
The situation underscores a critical vulnerability in India's event economy, which relies heavily on the punctuality of domestic air travel. With airlines struggling to stabilise their schedules, the ground reality for Kolkata's event planners, artists, and families remains fraught with uncertainty and mounting costs.
