500 fliers suffer in oil arm-twist

Kolkata: Around 500 holidayers returning to Tehran from Thai seaside resort Phuket landed in a mess at Kolkata airport late on Monday night as Indian Oil refused to refuel the two aircraft till dues were cleared. Till the transaction took place on Tuesday afternoon, the hapless passengers remained stranded in Kolkata, a bulk of them cooped up inside an aircraft for nearly 12 hours because the airport did not have the requisite infrastructure to host them.
When the nightmare finally ended and the flights took off late on Tuesday afternoon, the passengers were famished, having had only a sparse meal in those 12 hours. Those travelling economy class were worse off with feet swollen and toes numb from the long hours in the cramped seats. The toilets also stank as they remained dirty for nearly a day. When the passengers finally reached their destination late on Tuesday, they had no fond memories of the wonderful time in Thailand's fun resort. They carried home a traumatic experience that is sure to haunt them for a long time to come.
Iranian private carrier Mahan Air, which has had a dodgy record with allegations of forged acquisition of three Boeing 747-400 aircraft and a ban within the European Union for a year, has off late been making a technical halt in Kolkata during the return journey from Phuket to Tehran.
21/09/11 Times of India

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Categories: airports Sep 2011, Foreign Sep 2011