Travel plans for hundreds of passengers were thrown into disarray on Friday as IndiGo, a leading low-cost carrier, cancelled all its flight operations from Vadodara's airport. The mass cancellation led to significant disruption across key metro and regional routes, causing long queues and widespread frustration among travelers at the terminal.
Scale of the Cancellations
The airline cancelled a total of nine flights, which impacted 18 flight movements to and from Vadodara airport. The cancellations were comprehensive, hitting every major route IndiGo operates from the city. Services to Mumbai were completely withdrawn for the day, with flight pairs 6E 5126/6087 and 6E 2168/5138 being scrapped.
Multiple rotations on the busy Delhi sector were also axed. The affected flights included 6E 5066/6662, 6E 6624/6625, and 6E 5131/5164. Other vital domestic connections were not spared either. Flights to Pune (6E 6241/6245), Goa (6E 2178/0105), Hyderabad (6E 0104/2179), and Bengaluru (6E 0807/0808) were all suspended, leaving passengers with few immediate options.
Air India's Response and Passenger Anguish
In a move to alleviate the crisis and maintain essential air links, national carrier Air India intervened. The airline announced it would operate two additional flights on the Delhi–Vadodara–Delhi route. One flight was operated on Friday itself, with another scheduled for Saturday.
The Vadodara airport director confirmed the development, stating, "Due to recent flight cancellations by IndiGo and with a view to facilitating stranded passengers at Vadodara airport, Air India is operating two additional flights on the Delhi-Vadodara-Delhi sector."
However, for many affected passengers, the damage was already done. A common complaint was the lack of clear communication from the airline. Zakir Hussain, who had a crucial connecting international flight from Mumbai to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, found himself in a dire situation. He estimated he would now have to pay nearly four times the original fare for alternative arrangements, incurring an extra cost of approximately Rs 1 lakh.
Personal Plans Derailed
The cancellations ruined carefully made personal plans as well. A honeymoon trip to Goa for a newly married couple was derailed at the last moment in a confusing ordeal. Padmakant Shah, the groom's father, explained the frustrating sequence of events. "My son and daughter-in-law were told their flight would instead depart from Ahmedabad. After reaching there, they were first informed of a delay and then told that the flight was cancelled," he said. The incident highlights the cascading effect of such operational disruptions on passengers.
The sudden and widespread cancellations by IndiGo at Vadodara airport underscore the vulnerability of air travel networks to operational issues. While Air India's step to add capacity provided some relief, the episode left hundreds of passengers grappling with uncertainty, financial loss, and the stress of last-minute travel rearrangements.
