Over 400 flyers from across the country are allegedly being held to ransom at Leh airport by inclement weather since January 26. The tourists, many of whom had gone for the Chadar trek in Ladakh, however, allege that Air India, which cancelled their flights owing to bad weather, has left them stranded at the airport, without access to any money or food.
Some of the exasperated passengers claimed that the airline categorically told them that the pilot of the flight that was supposed to set off from Delhi on January 26 "was not interested in flying". Air India (AI) has refuted this and blamed the weather in Leh. Most of the cancelled services are of flight AI446.
While AI's claim of inclement weather may be true for Tuesday's cancellation, there is no explanation for why the passengers have been stranded since January 26. According to data available on the flight tracking site, flightstats, planes landed from Delhi and Chandigarh on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
"The situation is ridiculous. The airport staff is extremely rude and is not offering satisfactory answers. There are people who don't even have money to buy food," Surya Mishra (34), a resident of Bhubaneshwar who was to return on Monday, told mid-day from Leh.
Last evening, tempers flew at the airport as the stranded passengers began to protest against Air India. "The trek was arduous. We haven't bathed or eaten since January 26. The airline staff just doesn't seem to care. We have to beg for services we paid for," alleged Mumbaikar Nikhita Chopra (25), who works as a freelance model and dancer and was expected to return home on January 29. "The staff needs to get its act together. How can one go by the mood of a pilot?" Chopra said most passengers have run out of money.
01/02/17 Aparna Shukla/Mid-day
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Some of the exasperated passengers claimed that the airline categorically told them that the pilot of the flight that was supposed to set off from Delhi on January 26 "was not interested in flying". Air India (AI) has refuted this and blamed the weather in Leh. Most of the cancelled services are of flight AI446.
While AI's claim of inclement weather may be true for Tuesday's cancellation, there is no explanation for why the passengers have been stranded since January 26. According to data available on the flight tracking site, flightstats, planes landed from Delhi and Chandigarh on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
"The situation is ridiculous. The airport staff is extremely rude and is not offering satisfactory answers. There are people who don't even have money to buy food," Surya Mishra (34), a resident of Bhubaneshwar who was to return on Monday, told mid-day from Leh.
Last evening, tempers flew at the airport as the stranded passengers began to protest against Air India. "The trek was arduous. We haven't bathed or eaten since January 26. The airline staff just doesn't seem to care. We have to beg for services we paid for," alleged Mumbaikar Nikhita Chopra (25), who works as a freelance model and dancer and was expected to return home on January 29. "The staff needs to get its act together. How can one go by the mood of a pilot?" Chopra said most passengers have run out of money.
01/02/17 Aparna Shukla/Mid-day
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