Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport descended into scenes of anger and frustration on Friday as a wave of flight cancellations by budget carrier IndiGo left hundreds of passengers stranded for hours. The airline cancelled at least 10 flights to major cities across the country, causing significant disruption and financial loss to travelers, many of whom were on urgent business or had international connections.
Complete Breakdown: List of Cancelled and Delayed Flights
The disruption began early on Friday and continued throughout the day. According to an official at Birsa Munda Airport, the cancelled IndiGo flights included key routes to major metropolitan hubs. The affected services were:
- 6E 6799 to Bengaluru at 8:55 am
- 6E 398 to Hyderabad at 9:30 am
- 6E 2294 to Delhi at 2:45 pm
- 6E 5139 to Delhi at 5:45 pm
- 6E 328 to Hyderabad
- 6E 5139 to Delhi at 6:50 pm
- 6E 5017 to Mumbai at 6:50 pm
- 6E 209 to Chennai at 7:10 pm
- 6E 191 to Hyderabad at 8 pm
Additionally, flight 6E 5071 from Delhi to Ranchi was also cancelled. The ripple effect caused delays for several other flights, including the Ranchi-Patna, Bengaluru-Ranchi, Hyderabad-Ranchi, and Patna-Ranchi services. Passengers alleged they received no prior intimation about the cancellations and discovered the news only upon arriving at the airport, leading to heated arguments with airline staff.
Passenger Ordeal: Missed Exams, Lost Money, and International Chaos
The last-minute cancellations had severe consequences. Many passengers, who had booked flights for critical work, were left anxious. The situation was particularly dire for international travelers who missed their connecting flights to destinations like Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.
One affected passenger, Sanjeev Singh, was traveling to Saudi Arabia with his wife and two children. Their IndiGo flight to Delhi, scheduled for 2:45 pm, was cancelled, causing them to miss their onward connection to Dammam. "My children had exams scheduled on Monday, now they will not be able to take it," said a distressed Singh. He highlighted a glaring system failure, noting that web check-in was allowed for three of their tickets despite the flight being cancelled, and the airline staff could not provide a valid reason.
Delhi-based businessman Ramesh Goyal, on a trip to Ranchi, was stuck without a return flight. "I had to reach Delhi by Friday evening for some urgent work. Other airlines are also taking advantage of the situation and have increased the fares," he lamented.
The financial toll was stark for Vinod Kumar Jaiswal and his nine family members. They were headed to Kochi for a holiday but got stuck due to a cancelled connecting flight to Bengaluru. Jaiswal claimed to have already spent Rs 6 lakh on bookings, with hotels in Kochi refusing refunds. "This IndiGo chaos has cost me several lakhs of rupees. I will never book an IndiGo flight in my life," he declared.
Airline's Silence and Passenger Fury
The common thread among all stranded passengers was the lack of prior communication from the airline. The alleged negligence and an unexplained technical glitch were cited as the core reasons for the chaos. With no immediate alternative arrangements or clear explanations from IndiGo officials, the atmosphere at the airport remained tense throughout Friday. The incident raises serious questions about the operational reliability and customer communication protocols of one of India's largest airlines, especially during peak travel times.
