CHENNAI: Unprecedented delay of six flights and sudden cancellation of one flight put travel plans of flyers through the wringer at the city airport on Thursday.
The impacted flights were scheduled to depart for Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Thoothukudi, but were delayed up to six hours with no prior information. Passengers claimed that they were not given any reason, leading to them waiting helplessly at the city airport for long periods.
They claimed that flight delays were usually expected during adverse weather conditions. But the city had a sunny day, making weather an unlikely reason for the lapse. It is also observed that delays and last-minute cancellations of flights have become a common occurrence at the city airport in the past few days, impacting the passengers heavily. They urge stricter action from aviation regulators and airport authorities to prevent further inconveniences for the passengers.
The Air India flight to Delhi, scheduled at 1 am, was delayed by 6 hours and departed at 6.50 am. A private airline flight to Hyderabad at 6 am was delayed by three and a half hours, and departed at 9.30 am. A Mumbai-bound Air India flight was delayed by an hour, departing at 9.30 am. Another Delhi AI flight took off after an hour of scheduled time at 9.45 am. A 9.50 am flight to Delhi was rescheduled to 1 pm, and a Thoothukudi flight scheduled at 10.10 am was also put off to 1 pm.
An Air India Delhi flight set to depart at 12.55 pm was cancelled at the last minute, while several passengers had already checked in for the flight.