Amausi hits an air pocket: Many flyers, fewer flights

LUCKNOW: The sudden grounding of six aircraft of a private airline at Amausi airport is forcing at least 1,000 passengers to nix travel plans every 24 hours from Lucknow. The grounded fleet was earlier ferrying commuters to popular destinations, including Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. With other airlines recording full occupancy or last-minute bookings offering sky-rocketing fares, flyers are forced to either change travel plans or opt for travel by rail or road.


Until a few weeks ago, 68 planes would take off from Lucknow daily, with around 9,000 passengers on board. Now, only 62 planes are taking off from Amausi, leading to a sharp drop in number of daily passengers from 9,000 to 8,000.

Of six grounded planes, four were Delhi-bound, two for Mumbai and one for Pune. Adding to the crisis, the same private airline has slashed seats in three flights bound for Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh. Other airlines are already running to full capacity and are unable to accommodate last-minute bookings. The crisis may deepen with summer vacations approaching and more passengers trying to book flights.

IndiGo Airlines spokesperson said, “All our flights are booked. Most passengers had booked tickets one or two months in advance. Earlier, there used to be some room for last-minute bookings, but now we are unable to entertain such requests.”

Air India spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad Khan said, “The demand is huge and all our flights running in full capacity. The rush is mostly for morning and evening flights.” Vinod Srivastava, duty manager of GoAir, echoed similar views.

Officer on special duty to Airport Authority of India, Sanjay K Narayan, said, “Against 68 flights, now only 62 planes are flying from Lucknow. Six flights have been grounded and three replaced due to technical reasons.” Narayan refused to share details on what is being done to address the emergency.