Air travel from Thiruvananthapuram faced significant disruption over the weekend as budget carrier IndiGo cancelled a dozen flights on Sunday. The move left many passengers stranded and forced to make costly alternative arrangements, particularly affecting those aiming to catch international flights from major metro hubs.
Weekend Woes: A Detailed Look at the Cancellations
On Sunday, IndiGo cancelled a total of 12 flights operating from the Kerala capital. The breakdown included six arriving flights and six departing services. In their place, the airline managed to operate only six departures and four arrivals. This followed a day of limited operations on Saturday, where the carrier ran merely four flights from the city.
An airline official indicated that operations might see an improvement in the coming days, offering a glimmer of hope. However, the immediate schedule disruption has caused considerable hardship for the traveling public. A minor relief was that the airline operated its service to Delhi and managed one flight to Chennai, though the latter was delayed by an hour.
International Travelers Bear the Brunt
The impact has been most severe for passengers who use Thiruvananthapuram as a starting point to reach major airports like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chennai for connecting international flights. According to local travel and tour operators, travelers flying to destinations beyond the Middle East, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, are the hardest hit.
Faced with cancellations, people are now scrambling to make alternative travel arrangements to reach metro cities in advance. This often involves long road journeys or booking last-minute flights with other carriers. However, this contingency planning comes at a steep price. Hotel rates in metros like Bengaluru and Chennai are currently high, forcing affected travelers to spend significantly more money. These additional expenses come on top of substantial taxi charges for the road travel to these hubs.
Financial Fallout for Businesses
The ripple effects of the flight cancellations extend beyond passengers to the travel industry itself. Travel and tour companies are reporting financial losses due to the chaos. One agency revealed it incurred a cost ranging from Rs 45,000 to Rs 1 lakh to reschedule the travel plans for a single passenger.
The hospitality sector has also felt the pinch. Hotels in Thiruvananthapuram that had secured about 90% bookings for the weekend suffered a setback as many reservations were cancelled at the last minute due to the travel uncertainty. This series of events paints a picture of a localized travel crisis with wide-ranging economic consequences for both consumers and service providers.
