IndiGo Airlines’ continuous problem resulted in the cancellation of 146 flights (70 arrivals and 76 departures) at Mumbai Airport on Saturday.
According to a Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson, a number of steps were taken to alleviate the situation. Despite the airport’s limited space, special parking arrangements were made to accommodate about 25 grounded IndiGo aircraft, and additional chairs, free refreshments, and staff were deployed at both terminals to help passengers move around.
The disruption has had a significant impact on the travel and tourist sector. According to Prabhulal Joshi of Heena excursions, “almost 20% of our excursions have been canceled because the majority of participants arrange their own flight tickets.” “People who have made reservations with us have been calling me in desperation, sometimes as late as one in the morning. We have given them permission to reschedule their excursions. However, hotels and vehicle rentals have suffered.
The head of the Maharashtra Tour Organisers Association and owner of Raja Rani Travels, Shailesh Patil, said that IndiGo was a reputable airline that had developed over many years. “Therefore, the problems of the last two days have completely caught travelers and the travel industry off guard,” he said. “We completely sympathize with the passengers, who have had terrible ordeals. We believe that competent management on the side of the airline and proactive measures implemented as soon as the first indications of the issue appeared may have prevented some of the problems.
Patil went on to say that Indigo’s action had “fortunately” received a lot of bad press. He said, “It made things simpler for us when we were negotiating with hotels and vehicle rental corporations to sensitively examine situations of passengers who were victims.” The majority of our hotels were ready to accept minor cancellations and provide credit notes for future usage since we have a great relationship with them. However, this is not the case for many other travel agencies. The majority of travelers who have made reservations online are frantically attempting to get a refund via anonymous over-the-top (OTT) sites.
The tour operator said that he anticipated a week of “huge customer satisfaction difficulties” and noted that travel agents had been used as “scapegoats” by travelers pressuring the industry to bargain with service suppliers.
Raja Rani Travels’ Abhijit Patil agreed that Indigo and other organizations might have handled the matter more skillfully. He said, “Even the ministry of civil aviation might have intervened considerably earlier.” “I have seen that hotels in Delhi’s Aerocity charge visitors between ₹30,000 and ₹40,000 per day.” The travel community is now on its own.
From Mumbai to Nagpur, Indigo offers three flights. Many people use Nagpur Airport to go to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. The director of the tiger reserve, Prabhunath Shukla, said that some cancellations had occurred because visitors were unable to get there.
