Several IndiGo flights were cancelled from Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna on Tuesday due to operational reasons. According to cancellation letters received by airport management, a total of 11 arrival and departure flights were cancelled.
IndiGo Crisis in Patna: On Tuesday, Patna’s Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport experienced significant disruption to IndiGo’s services due to operational issues. A total of 14 IndiGo flights were cancelled, including six flights traveling between Delhi and Patna. SpiceJet also cancelled a pair of flights, resulting in a total of 24 flights affected. This sudden large-scale cancellation caused considerable inconvenience for hundreds of passengers, leading to a chaotic scene at the airport.
According to a cancellation letter sent by IndiGo to airport management, 11 arrival and departure flights were cancelled. The most significant impact was observed on the Delhi-Patna route, one of the busiest air routes connecting Bihar and the national capital. Passengers particularly faced difficulties due to a significant delay in receiving notification of the cancellations.
Delayed Information for Passengers
IndiGo claims to have notified passengers about flight cancellations approximately eight hours in advance; however, many passengers disputed this claim. Passengers traveling from remote districts such as Bhagalpur, Munger, and Jami to Patna Airport stated that they only discovered the flight cancellation via a message on their mobile phones after arriving at the airport. This resulted in wasted time and additional expenses for many.
Passenger Abhishek Kumar, traveling from Jami to Delhi, explained that he needed to catch an international flight to Germany from Delhi. After the Patna-Delhi flight was cancelled, he considered taking a taxi, but taxi operators charged up to 50,000 rupees. Drivers were adding 20-25 rupees per kilometer, toll taxes, and round-trip fares, resulting in a substantial sum. Many passengers were forced to travel by train to Delhi via Varanasi, where securing a reservation proved challenging.
| Flight Number (Outbound) | Flight Number (Inbound) | Route |
|---|---|---|
| 6E6387 | 6E2163 | Delhi → Patna → Delhi |
| 6E713 | 6E663 | Kolkata → Patna → Kolkata |
| 6E6643 | 6E6644 | Delhi → Patna → Delhi |
| 6E6451 | 6E6452 | Bangalore → Patna → Bangalore |
| 6E915 | 6E6683 | Hyderabad → Patna → Hyderabad |
| 6E6549 | 6E6550 | Delhi → Patna → Delhi |
| 6E678 | 6E679 | Chennai → Patna → Chennai |
Discontent Regarding Refund Process
Many passengers also expressed dissatisfaction regarding the refund process for their tickets. Digvijay Singh, a passenger traveling from Jaipur to Patna, stated that his son’s ticket, already cancelled, had not yet been refunded to his account. A sense of frustration was evident at IndiGo’s inquiry counters at the airport, where staff were providing information on ticket cancellations and the refund process.
Further Cancellations Expected on Wednesday
The situation is not expected to improve. IndiGo has indicated that seven more flights are scheduled to be cancelled on Wednesday. This could further exacerbate the difficulties faced by travelers, particularly those with urgent commitments such as business, education, or international travel.
As of now, IndiGo has not publicly disclosed a clear and official reason for the flight cancellations. While the term “operational reasons” has been used to explain the situation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has yet to issue any formal statement.
