Indore (Madhya Pradesh)
The month of May was not a good month for flyers from city's Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport as 220 flights were cancelled, and IndiGo airlines had the dubious distinction of cancelling the maximum number of 166 flights.
In percentage terms, more than 10 per cent of the flights were cancelled - about 7 flights per day.
This fact is revealed in a report released by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) recently.
As per the report, a total of 2,114 flights were operated from Indore between May 1 and 31. A total of 2,28,768 passengers travelled in this period, while a total of 220 flights were cancelled during this period. Of these, a total of 166 flights were of IndiGo airline. The remaining 54 cancelled flights include flights of Air India, Vistara, Star Air and Fly Big.
Interestingly, while 220 flights were cancelled in May, the month also saw the highest number of flights being operated and also the maximum number of air passengers. Though the number of flights and air passengers is increasing by the day, the flight cancellations are disconcerting for the passengers.
As per the AAI report, flights were cancelled every day in May. On some days, 10 to 12 flights were cancelled. Often flights on such routes were cancelled for which there was no alternative flight from the city. More than 90% of the flight cancellations were for operational reasons, which means that if bookings for a flight are too low, the airline cancels the flight as operating the flight is not economically viable. In most cases, the airline gives the option of refunding the amount or booking a subsequent flight. However, since the new bookings are on the 11th hour, the passengers have to shell out more money.
