Domestic flights bear brunt of shutdown, 96 cancelled

Mumbai: Domestic air services to several parts of India bore the brunt of the shutdown called by the opposition on Monday, leading to cancellations of 96 scheduled services. One international flight also had to be cancelled, airport officials said.
International operations, by and large, were smooth since a majority of the incoming or outgoing flights were scheduled for the early hours of the day, when the shutdown was yet to make a major impact, the officials added.
According to information available with airport authorities, Kingfisher cancelled at least 26 flights, Jet Airways 17, Jetlite 13, Indian Airlines 18, IndiGo nine, GoAir seven and Spicejet two.
Kingfisher, for example, attempted to salvage the situation by combining several of its flights with other services. The other carriers also resorted to a similar strategy to accommodate stranded passengers.
Officials at the airports said that a majority of the cancellations were from opposition-rules states.
Even the usually bustling Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, among the busiest in the country, also wore a near-deserted look as pre-paid and metered taxis and autorickshaws remained off the roads.
05/07/10 Indo-Asian News Service/Hindustan Times

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Categories: Airports Jul 2010, Indian Aviation- In General Jul 2010