Chaos and cancellations at India’s airports as domestic flights resume in bid to kickstart economy

The government last week announced a partial resumption of flights after coronavirus lockdown but travel policies vary between states

Airlines were forced to scramble to revise their schedules, prompting one industry executive to describe the situation as a ‘farce’

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Passengers queue to enter Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on May 25, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:05pm, 25 May 2020Updated: 9:52pm, 25 May 2020

Airlines’ plans to resume air travel in India were in disarray on Monday after some states restricted the number of flights hours before departure, causing last-minute cancellations and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

Airlines, including IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier, SpiceJet and Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, had been preparing to resume operations from Monday with about a third of their capacity amid strict rules. But new restrictions at major airports, including Mumbai and Chennai, forced airlines to scramble late on Sunday to revise schedules.

The confusion will make it even harder for airlines to recover from the impact of a two-month coronavirus lockdown to contain the novel coronavirus that has already cost tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue, industry executives, lawyers and analysts said.

Passengers at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Photo: Reuters

“The entire handling of the restart has been reduced to a farce, causing pain for airlines, airports, and passengers,” said an industry executive on condition of anonymity.

IndiGo had planned to start with about 430 daily flights while its low-cost rival SpiceJet said it would operate 204 flights a day and AirAsia India would start with 77 flights.