CHENNAI: Passengers at Chennai International Airport faced significant disruption today as Air India abruptly cancelled two key domestic flights and another international flight suffered a major delay.
Cancelled flights are Delhi to Chennai (Scheduled: Departure 4:15 PM, Arrival 7:10 PM) and Chennai to Delhi (Scheduled: Departure 8:40 PM, Arrival 11:25 PM).
Airport authorities cited "administrative reasons" for the cancellations. They stated affected passengers were informed and provided with alternative arrangements.
Chennai to Singapore flight (Air India Express), scheduled for a 5:00 AM departure, was delayed by six hours, finally taking off at 11:00 AM.
The delay was attributed to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft operating the Dammam (Saudi Arabia) to Chennai route. This flight, scheduled to land at 3:25 AM to then operate the Singapore service, arrived significantly late at 9:25 AM.
The delay caused severe hardship for all 252 passengers booked on the Singapore flight who were forced to wait at the airport for hours.
The combined effect of the two cancellations and the significant delay on the Singapore route led to considerable chaos and inconvenience for numerous passengers within the Chennai airport terminal. Despite official claims of alternative arrangements, many travelers reported experiencing severe difficulties due to the sudden disruptions to their travel plans.