Passengers at Patna's Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport faced a fifth consecutive day of severe disruption as IndiGo's operational crisis showed no signs of abating, transforming routine air travel into an ordeal of frustration and helplessness.
Sunday's Wave of Cancellations
On Sunday, the low-cost carrier cancelled 14 more flights to and from Patna without prior warning, leaving hundreds of travelers stranded. The scene inside the terminal was one of palpable distress, with passengers holding now-invalid boarding passes and watching critical plans—from weddings and medical appointments to urgent business meetings—fall apart in real time.
The airline issued a brief notice attributing the cancellations to "operational reasons." The affected routes covered almost every major destination from Patna, including multiple daily services to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Pune.
Passenger Plight: No Information, Missed Connections
A common complaint among flyers was the complete lack of communication. Pratyush Kumar lamented that he received no SMS alert. "By the time we stood in line at the counter and found out it was cancelled, both time and money were already wasted," he said.
The situation led to chaotic scenes at IndiGo counters, with minimal announcements and rising tempers. The sudden cancellations created a domino effect, causing seats on rival airlines like SpiceJet and Air India to sell out or their prices to skyrocket.
The fallout was particularly severe for passengers with international connections. Rajesh Kumar, who works in Kuwait, arrived at the airport for his Patna-Mumbai leg, only to find it cancelled while his Mumbai-Kuwait flight was still scheduled. "I kept calling IndiGo and even their Kuwait customer care – nobody picked up. Now my international flight will definitely be missed," he said, facing the prospect of buying a new international ticket at three to four times the original cost.
More Trouble Ahead: Pre-emptive Cancellations Announced
Making a bad situation worse, IndiGo has announced a series of pre-emptive cancellations that will impact the Patna airport from December 8 until December 11. Key routes such as Delhi-Patna, Kolkata-Patna, Hyderabad-Patna, Chennai-Patna, and Bengaluru-Patna will be affected, with seven to eight flights cancelled daily during this period.
Other affected passengers shared their stories:
- Anand Tiwari, with urgent business in Bengaluru, found his Sunday flight cancelled and the website unresponsive for rebooking or refunds.
- Aryan Prasad faced his second cancellation, having earlier had a Patna-Kolkata flight cancelled on December 5. He rebooked for Sunday to make a Monday job interview in Delhi, only to be stranded again.
- Ravish Kumar received no intimation and discovered his Pune flight was cancelled only upon reaching the airport.
The extended operational meltdown has severely eroded passenger trust and highlights significant challenges in customer communication and crisis management by one of India's largest airlines.
