Passengers at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport faced severe distress as IndiGo Airlines cancelled a significant number of flights, leading to widespread chaos and personal losses. The airline cancelled 21 arrivals and 21 departures, impacting numerous travelers with time-sensitive commitments.
Stranded and Struggling: Passengers Share Their Ordeal
Among the most affected were four Nepali nationals – Ram Bahadur Sonar, Pradeep Sonar, Viraj Sonar, and Vikas Shah. Their flight from Lucknow to Kolkata, originally scheduled for December 3, faced repeated cancellations. Vikas Shah condemned the airline's handling, stating they received no food, accommodation, or accurate updates, calling the behavior "insensitive and inhuman."
The cancellations had life-altering consequences for some. Ranjit Shah, 25, from Nepal was traveling via Lucknow to Vellore for a crucial medical entrance exam. His rescheduled flight was moved to the day of the test itself, making it impossible for him to appear and potentially costing him an entire academic year.
The situation was even more critical for Ranjeet Kumar Gupta from Siwan, Bihar. He had a connecting journey from Lucknow to Bengaluru and then to Riyadh. His IndiGo flight was cancelled without prior notice, and the airline refused an immediate refund, issuing only a handwritten note. Gupta fears losing Rs 2.5 lakh if he cannot reach Riyadh before his visa expires on December 8.
A Pattern of Poor Communication and Last-Minute Changes
Multiple passengers reported a complete breakdown in communication and unreliable information. Dr. Abhishek, heading to Dehradun, found his flight listed as "on time" online, only to discover it was cancelled upon reaching the airport. He highlighted the confusion caused by contradictory online and offline statuses.
This lack of clear information was a common complaint. Chemical engineer Mridul Dikshit from Kanpur learned of his Delhi-Indonesia flight cancellation only after arriving at the airport, with no staff available to provide guidance.
The disruptions turned Lucknow into a major transit headache. Tariq Ali, 49, missed his brother's wedding in Dehradun. Laldeep Pulwani Prajapati, traveling with children from Varanasi to Mumbai, had his ticket cancelled three times between December 4 and 6. A family with a one-year-old child, returning from Ayodhya to Mumbai, endured a nine-hour delay, a diversion to Lucknow, and a final cancellation the next day.
Professional and Financial Repercussions Mount
The impact extended beyond inconvenience to significant financial and professional loss. Deepa Singh, a trainee psychiatrist, missed her international connection from Mumbai to London for professional commitments, incurring losses on travel and work.
"Although the airline is refunding the ticket amount, it does not compensate for the professional loss caused by the cancellation," she stated. Business traveler Mahesh Gupta, scheduled to fly to Kuwait, also spoke of the financial and professional stress induced by the cancellation.
On December 4, passengers bound for Hyderabad faced hours-long delays, causing many to miss connections to Bengaluru and forcing them to cancel non-refundable work trips. Raghav Sharma, traveling to Mumbai for his brother's cancer treatment, had to abandon air travel altogether and opt for a train due to the indefinite delay.
While IndiGo has assured refunds and predicted stabilized operations by mid-December, affected travelers consistently report poor communication, limited on-ground assistance, and a profound lack of clarity during these major disruptions.
