Heavy fog blanketing North India triggered significant flight disruptions on Friday, with at least eight flights to and from Pune being cancelled. The dense fog, primarily affecting Delhi and Amritsar, left numerous passengers stranded and frustrated at Pune International Airport.
Multiple Airlines Ground Flights
Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke confirmed the initial cancellation of four morning flights directly due to the adverse fog conditions. These included an IndiGo flight on the Amritsar-Pune-Amritsar route and an Air India flight operating on the Delhi-Pune-Delhi sector. Dhoke further stated that one flight each from SpiceJet and Air India Express were also cancelled, citing operational reasons.
The situation evolved through the day. A SpiceJet source later confirmed two additional cancellations: a Delhi to Pune flight and a Pune to Goa flight, both attributed to the challenging weather. Air India Express listed multiple cancellations on its website, specifically mentioning that its Delhi-Pune flight and the return Pune-Delhi service were scrapped due to the adverse weather.
Passenger Anguish and Inconvenience
The sudden cancellations caused considerable hardship for travelers. Flyer Roli Tiwari Mishra expressed her anger on social media platform X. She detailed her ordeal with a 5 am SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Pune, booked so her daughter could attend a national art festival. After receiving a message that the flight would depart two hours earlier, the family risked a drive through dense fog to reach the airport on time, only to be informed of the cancellation. "This is exploitation at its peak," she wrote.
Businessman Sachin Doshi, who needed to travel to Delhi, found himself in a helpless situation. While acknowledging the weather was beyond the airline's control, he highlighted a key communication gap: "I came to know about the cancellation only after reaching the airport."
Airlines and Airport Response
Authorities from all affected airlines asserted they were consistently updating flight information on their official social media channels and directly informing passengers. In a proactive measure, the Pune airport officials had issued an alert on their X handle on Thursday late evening, warning travelers of possible flight disruptions on Friday due to the anticipated fog.
Despite these efforts, the scale of the cancellations and the last-minute nature of some decisions led to widespread passenger distress. The incident underscores the vulnerability of air travel to severe winter weather in northern parts of the country.
