No Smooth Take-Off : 82 Flights Cancelled From Delhi, Passengers Left In The Lurch

Picture : Twitter / ANI

The return of domestic air travel after two months has not at all been smooth. According to reports Delhi Airport stated that due to states allowing fewer flights, there has been at least 82 cancellations at the time of filing this report on Day 1. Delhi Airport was supposed to handle 380 flights on Day 1, 190 each arrival and departure.

All domestic and International to and from India were suspended when India went into nationwide lockdown on March 24 to control the coronavirus.  The first lockdown was from March 24 to April 14. Second from April 15 to May 3. Third from May 3rd to 17th and now the fourth one from 18th may is scheduled to end on may 31, 2020.

With so many cancellations of Day 1 , passengers had a torrid time and many were left visibly angry on being informed about cancellations only when they reached the airport

As per Delhi Airport, the latest figures indicated that arrivals will stand at 118 flights, while departure will be at 125 flights, leaving 82 total flights as against scheduled plan. Both these figures can change if there’s an unexpected cancellation in other states and airports.

Earlier, the flight schedule was made for all airports including West Bengal (flight operations from May 28), Maharashtra (25 takeoffs and 25 landings every day) and Chennai (incoming passenger flights restricted to 25).
With the resumption of domestic flight operations, Vistara Airlines started its operation with the first flight to Bhubaneswar from the national capital.

Vistara Air UK-785 departed for Bhubaneswar with 95 passengers at 6:50 am on Monday.

All passengers were screened before boarding the flight at Delhi’s IGI airport. “We’re strictly following the government’s guidelines to ensure safety against COVID19. Today has been a different experience as we’re not used to wearing protective gear over our uniforms. All passengers followed the guidelines,” a flight attendant on Vistara’s Delhi-Bhubaneswar flight said.

Passengers deboarding were seen wearing face shields as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.
The Central government has announced the resumption of domestic flight operations from today in a phased manner.