IndiGo ramps up operations, issues Rs 610 crore in refunds after week-long disruptions

The Railways announced 89 special trains across all zones to be operated over three consecutive days starting Saturday to help people facing travel disruptions due to the mass flight cancellations by IndiGo.

In a coordinated move by the Railway Ministry, the trains, which are to make over 100 trips, were arranged in the shortest possible time after analysis of train traffic situations in major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna, and Howrah, among others.

“The number of special trains and their trips might increase further depending on the traffic scenario. All zones have been asked to make use of all available resources, including rolling stock as well as manpower, to safely operate these trains for the convenience of lakhs of passengers stranded at different parts of the country due to flight cancellations,” said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information & Publicity, Railway Board.

Officials said efforts are being made to make people aware about the trains, and some divisions have even disseminated information at nearby airports to help passengers.

South Eastern Railway has issued a press release and informed the Airport Authority to display information regarding the newly introduced special train services.

“Western Railway will run seven special trains on a special fare between Mumbai Central-New Delhi, Mumbai Central-Bhiwani, Mumbai Central-Shakur Basti, Bandra Terminus-Durgapura, Valsad-Bilaspur, Sabarmati-Delhi and Sabarmati-Delhi Sarai Rohilla stations,” a press note said.

Similarly, South Central Railway on Saturday announced that it would run four special trains to manage the surge in passengers resulting from the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights.

Central Railway and Northern Railway have planned 14 and 10 special trains respectively, and officials said these numbers are being further reviewed to meet any rising requirements.

Other zones have also issued notifications regarding special trains along with their schedules.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said it has made arrangements to accommodate 25 grounded IndiGo aircraft at its facility.

In a statement, MIAL further said it has implemented a range of initiatives to support passengers stranded at the terminal due to flight cancellations and operational disruptions.

These measures have been implemented to enhance passenger comfort, provide clear information and ensure seamless logistics management during these challenging circumstances, MIAL said.

According to MIAL, additional chairs have been placed at multiple locations across both terminals (T1 and T2) to ensure passengers have ample seating while waiting while complimentary refreshments are being served to stranded passengers to help ease their wait.

Besides this, additional duty terminal managers and customer service executives have been deployed at both terminals to facilitate passenger movement and cater to their needs, MIAL said.

It also said that airport concessionaires/outlets have been instructed to maintain sufficient supplies of food and beverages for passenger convenience. The airport is also actively monitoring product pricing to ensure fairness.

Special gates have been set up to expedite the exit process for passengers affected by flight cancellations, the private airport operator said, adding that airport terminal operations, airline representatives, and CISF personnel are stationed at these gates to expedite the process.

Moreover, the terminal help desk is being manned round the clock, offering clear and timely information to passengers in need of support, it said.

A dedicated taskforce has been established by the airport comprising terminal operations (T1 & T2), airport baggage operations, MIAL security, CISF, and IndiGo airline staff, that is focused on retrieving checked-in baggage from cancelled flights and ensure prompt processing to reduce inconvenience to passengers, the private airport operator said.

It also said due to the uncertainty surrounding flight connections, frequent rescheduling and limited information, operational challenges such as stand availability and scheduling management have arisen.

However, the airport team is actively working to obtain clearer updates and manage airside operations effectively.

MIAL also said despite space constraints at Mumbai Airport, special parking arrangements have been made to accommodate about 25 grounded IndiGo aircraft, while additional traffic marshals have been deployed by the airport to ensure smooth passenger movement at the multi-level car parking and while exiting the terminals.

Normalcy is restored at airports across the country and all necessary facilities are being provided to passengers, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Saturday.

“Normalcy is restored at airports across the country and all necessary facilities are provided to passengers. Check-in and check-out are happening smoothly,” the ministry said in a statement.