Flights Cancelled: Westbound flights remained suspended for the second consecutive day, with passengers stranded at airports despite hundreds of flights being cancelled.
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Flights Cancelled: At least 100 international flights – both incoming and outgoing – were cancelled at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGIA) airport on Sunday amid the crisis in West Asia. Westbound flights remained suspended for the second consecutive day, despite hundreds of cancellations being announced in advance, leaving passengers stranded at the airport as they queued up outside ticket counters to look for alternative options.
“Till late evening, at least 100 flights – 62 departures and 42 arrivals stood cancelled,” an airport official told HT, adding, “These were primarily flights cancelled in advance, with passengers receiving intimation early, so they don’t reach the airport.”
With the widespread disruptions to the air space, several flights, including on domestic routes, were also delayed, the official further said.
The airport handles close to 1,520 flights daily.
Airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), in a post on X directed passengers to contact their respective airlines for the latest information, adding, “Due to the ongoing political developments in (West Asia), westbound International flights may face delays or schedule adjustments.”
At Terminal 3, a large number of people stood in front of the information boards staring at flight statuses as they situation developed. 32-year-old Ibrahim Khan, the breadwinner of a family of eight, said his Air India flight to Jeddah for Monday had been cancelled. “I am worried that if I do not reach on time, my company will cut pay from my salary, which will be a really difficult situation for me, as I need to pay my siblings’ school fees and send money home.”
The terminal’s ticketing area too was full with queues at each airline’s counter and tired-looking passengers, some dressed in pyjamas in night clothes, huddled around their luggage. Airline officials were handing refreshment boxes to the people at the counter.
Ashok Kumar (32) said he was starting a new job in Dubai and had travelled from Jalandhar, Punjab, to catch his Spicejet flight scheduled for Sunday evening. “My flight was cancelled, and Spicejet has simply told me to go home. Now not only is my job uncertain, but I will most probably have to travel back home again, which is a big expense for my family.”
Data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed over 400 flights were delayed at the airport as of 9pm, including over 300 arrivals. The average delay time for arrivals stood at 19 minutes
Many passengers said they were frustrated by miscommunication between different airport authorities and officials. Dutch national Saapke Nijhuis, 53, said, Amsterdam airport officials had told her that her flight had been cancelled. But Air India officials had said it was not. “They are constantly telling me that my flight is not cancelled and will depart tomorrow.”
“I had come to Jaipur with two of my friends for a vacation, but we need to return back as one of my friend’s mother has passed away, and she needs to perform the ceremonial rites,” she said.
57-year-old David had flown in from the US for a business meeting in Hyderabad said he was told that no only is his Air India flight cancelled, but there are no flights till March 5 or 6. “Now I’ve booked another flight through a travel agency, via Kuala Lumpur, but I’m worried that will be cancelled as well.
Harita Dave (33), who lives in Canada, said that she had come to Ahmedabad with her husband for her wedding, but they learnt their flight was cancelled on Saturday night when they landed in Delhi. “We asked the airline if they could provide accommodation, but they said that, as the problem was not due to their fault, they couldn’t, and we had to book a hotel here to stay in overnight.”
Many people at the airline desk centre were also searching for lost luggage. Many of them said their connecting flights from Delhi had been cancelled, which they only learnt after they landed at IGIA.
35-year-old Vikas Sharma had come to Delhi for a vacation. They were supposed to fly back to Germany on Sunday afternoon but their flight was cancelled after they checked in. Holding an infant in his arms, he said, he had been waiting since then for their luggage.
Ajay, a 24-year-old, said he had been waiting for his luggage since 8:30 am, when his flight landed. “I am going to Germany to start a job and came to Delhi from Thiruvananthapuram. When my flight landed at 8:30am, we were told that the Air India flight to Germany is cancelled and the luggage was released on the conveyor belts, but my suitcases were missing. Air India officials told me to come here, and I’ve been waiting at the terminal for 7 hours, but to no avail as I have still not gotten my suitcase back. This is a huge source of stress, as I am already worried about losing my job due to not being able to reach on time,” he added.
Vishal Basir (43), who was returning home to London with his eight family members, had come to Delhi on an IndiGo flight from Amritsar. “They let us board the flight from there, and then when we landed here at 8:00am we found out that our next flight is cancelled. Since we are a bit group, we had 16 suitcases with us, and have been in the centre for hours trying to track them down. The process is really slow, with our baggage being given to us in groups of 2-4 every few hours. We are still short of 2 suitcases, and are really upset with the management as we were redirected across the airport multiple times only to be sent here,” he added.
Responding to reports of the inconvenience at the airport, the Delhi airport also posted on X. “During these challenging times, we sincerely appreciate your patience. Please be assured that our on ground staff is available across all terminals to assist passengers and provide the necessary support. However, we request your cooperation, as certain processes may take additional time due to the extraordinary circumstances. Our dedicated teams are working diligently with all partners to minimise disruptions and ensure a safe and comfortable experience for every passenger,” it said.
In a post on X, Air India said it was making every effort to assist affected passengers with rebooking and alternative travel arrangements. “Passengers impacted by the cancellations are being informed on their registered contact numbers.”
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