Technical snag grounds aircraft: Ahmedabad-Delhi flight cancelled

AHMEDABAD: Sachin Sheth (name changed to protect privacy), a professional from Ahmedabad, who was to travel to Delhi for an important work-related meeting on Monday morning, could not make it as the flight by which he was to travel got cancelled.
“I had an important work-related meeting in Delhi at 2pm. However, as GoAir flight G8-720, got cancelled, I had no option but to leave the airport and return, because the next available flight was in the evening,” Sheth said.
It was a harrowing experience for a total of 171 passengers who were scheduled to travel to Delhi from Ahmedabad on Monday morning by the same flight. As the aircraft which was to fly from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in Ahmedabad to Delhi, developed a technical snag, the airline initially delayed and eventually cancelled the operation of the flight.
The flight was scheduled to depart at 9.30am and passengers were not informed of a delay in advance. “When the boarding did not start at till 10 am, we inquired about the delay. We were told there was a technical snag and that the plane should be ready to fly in another hour. At 11 am, we were again informed that the flight may depart at 12.30pm; and also told that if the problem is not fixed, the flight may get cancelled. Eventually, the flight was cancelled,” said a passenger, narrating the sequence of events.
Several passengers were left hassled due to the cancellation of the flight as their travel plans were shelved.
When queried on how passengers were compensated due to the unforeseen circumstances, GoAir spokesperson said, “GoAir flight G8-720 from Ahmedabad to Delhi with 171 passengers had to be cancelled since there was a technical snag. Passengers were provided with alternate travel options or offered full refund. GoAir regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers owing to safety measures undertaken.”
This is the second incident of flight operations from Ahmedabad getting affected due to the aircraft developing a technical snag in two days. On Sunday as well, a Bengaluru-bound flight operated by another airline was delayed by over five hours as the aircraft developed a technical glitch.
Frequent delays in flight departures, be it due to operational reasons or technical snag developed in aircraft, often leave passengers suffering and shelving their travel plans. “In the past one month, we have seen several travel plans being cancelled because of flight delays. Last week, a group of my clients missed their connecting flight to Paris due to the delay in Ahmedabad-Mumbai flight,” said Manish Sharma, secretary, Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI) – Gujarat chapter.