Chaos erupted at Guwahati airport late Sunday night as angry passengers protested the sudden cancellation of an Air India flight to Hyderabad. The airline's offer to refund ticket fares was rejected by passengers, many of whom insisted on being flown to their destination instead.
The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 1:40 pm on Sunday, was reportedly cancelled without prior intimation. Tempers flared around 11 pm, with frustrated passengers—some travelling with sick children—raising slogans against the airline. Passengers alleged that Air India only offered a refund around 10 pm, several hours after the scheduled departure, prompting outrage.
The situation worsened when the Guwahati-Kolkata flight (IX 1954), set for 10:05 pm, was delayed until 11:55 pm. Kolkata-bound passengers joined the protest as uncertainty grew over flight operations. When the boarding announcement was finally made for the Kolkata flight, passengers bound for Hyderabad expressed further anger, demanding priority arrangements for their travel.
Similar protest earlier at Hindon airport
This incident follows a similar episode earlier on Sunday at Ghaziabad’s Hindon airport, where an Air India Express flight to Goa was abruptly cancelled due to technical issues just before take-off. Passengers, already on board, were asked to disembark, triggering protests at the terminal. Many took to social media platform X to criticise the airline and demanded full refunds.
Both incidents have added to growing passenger concerns over Air India’s flight management and communication lapses.
(Reported by Onkar Sarkar)
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