With the Kolkata airport suspending flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad, from July 6 to 19, hundreds of Kolkata-bound passengers from Chennai are likely to be affected. But arrival operations have not been stopped, and hence, flights from Kolkata will continue to land at Chennai airport.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said that every day, 4-5 flights leave for Kolkata from Chennai. “We still see many workers and those stuck here heading back to Kolkata. There are also those who may have arrived in Chennai for treatment before the lockdown and now want to return home. Such passengers may be affected,” an official said. Passengers who have already made bookings are worried about the announcement. Some of them are also transit passengers, heading from Chennai to places like Patna via Kolkata. Amit Kumar, a passenger, posted on Twitter: “@dear team, please provide an update on the flight from Chennai to Patna via Kolkata. I have a ticket booked, but news says that all flights from Chennai to Kolkata are cancelled. My flight status shows ‘on time’.”
Sale of tickets
Despite the order, a few airlines and online travel portals continue to sell tickets to Kolkata. If a passenger, unaware of the order, makes a booking, he will have to wait for months to get a refund or a credit shell. Fares for the flights range between ₹7,000 and ₹8,000, one way.
“The workers will especially be affected, as they may not even be aware of the announcement and could be making bookings. Imagine after spending so much if they come to know that there are no flights. This is unfair and airlines and travel portals should not do this to passengers,” an official said.
A few weeks ago, workers living in a camp near Pallavaram came all the way to the airport to travel to Kolkata. Only on arrival were they informed that their flight had been cancelled, and with the help of some State authorities, they had to take a bus, and then a train, to get home.