Patna: Passengers at Patna Airport were left stranded on Saturday as Indigo Airlines cancelled 11 flights, leaving families, including those with young children, facing long delays and limited assistance. The disruptions led to a sharp decline in airport footfall, with the arrival section notably quiet throughout the day.
The airline’s operations remain affected, prompting government intervention to cap fares at Rs. 18,000 per ticket in an effort to curb rising costs. Despite this, passengers reported chaotic conditions as several other flights arrived three to four hours late, adding to travel difficulties.
Avinash Kumar, who had travelled from Pune for a family event, said he spent hours attempting to obtain tickets at the airport without success. Wasim Khan, planning to travel from Patna to Bengaluru before flying to Dubai, described his journey as impossible and criticized other airlines for charging higher fares for alternative flights. He also said that basic facilities, such as drinking water, were not provided at the airport.
According to airport reports, only 13 Indigo flights arrived from various states on Saturday. While the departure section experienced long queues for refunds and rebooking, the arrival section remained largely deserted. Many passengers took to social media platform X to express frustration over the airline’s failure to update flight schedules or provide assistance.
The cancellations and delays have had a significant impact on passenger numbers, which have fallen nearly threefold compared with typical days. On Friday, only 3,800 passengers passed through the airport, while Saturday saw roughly 7,000, far below the usual 13,000–14,000 weekly average.
Travel disruptions and high fares are expected to continue affecting air travel from Patna in the coming days unless airline operations stabilize.
