Railways steps in for thousands of stranded flight passengers | Fusion - WeRIndia

As thousands of air travellers grappled with widespread IndiGo flight cancellations for a third consecutive day, the Indian Railways stepped in to ease the crisis.

To handle the sudden rush of stranded passengers, the Railways announced 89 special trains on busy routes across the country.

In Ahmedabad, authorities even set up a dedicated IRCTC booking counter inside the airport so that affected flyers could switch to train travel without leaving the terminal.

IRCTC officials explained that two Delhi-bound trains have been arranged, and passengers can book tickets directly at the airport counter with immediate payment.

This move aims to ensure that those stuck due to flight cancellations have a dependable alternative.

Railway officials said more steps are underway to accommodate the increased demand.

As per sources, Western Railways will operate special services between Sabarmati and Delhi on December 7 and 9, departing late at night and reaching the capital the following afternoon.

Another special service to Delhi Sarai Rohilla will run early on December 7.

The Railways will also attach additional coaches, including sleeper, AC 3-tier, and AC 2-tier, to several existing trains to handle the rush.

Passengers have been advised to reach stations earlier than usual due to heavy traffic and crowding.

The aviation sector has been dealing with heavy disruption as IndiGo struggles with mass cancellations, delays, and last-minute schedule changes.

A sudden shortage of pilots and crew, triggered by the enforcement of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), has sharply reduced available manpower.

At several major airports, passengers have faced hours-long queues, repeated delays, and uncertainty about alternate options.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has instructed IndiGo to settle all pending refunds by December 7.

The airline has also announced that ticket holders whose flights were cancelled between December 5 and December 15 will receive full refunds.

IndiGo says it is working continuously to stabilise operations.

The airline reported that cancellations had come down to fewer than 850 flights on December 6, a noticeable drop compared to the previous day. Further reductions are expected in the coming days.

While IndiGo has blamed a combination of operational issues, such as weather, congestion, and technical snags, aviation experts point primarily to the introduction of stricter FDTL rules.

These updated norms limit work hours and increase rest periods for crew members, leading to an immediate drop in available pilots and widespread cancellations.

Image from Pxhere (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

Image Published on February 17, 2017

Image Reference: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/743548