Day 2 of IGI flight ops: More arrivals, fewer cancellations

Unlike day one, more passengers were seen near the arrival gate than at the departure area. Most said they were either going home or returning home to Delhi.

Written by Aranya Shankar

New Delhi | May 27, 2020 04:42 AM IST

3 min read

The Delhi-Patna route is highest demand, Delhi-Patna most bookings followed by sectors such as Delhi-Bagdogra, Mumbai-Varanasi, Bengaluru-Patna, Delhi-Srinagar, etc. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

The second day of domestic flight operations restarting at Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport saw 137 departures and 140 arrivals through the day. Compared to Monday when 82 flights were cancelled, Tuesday saw just 25 flights being cancelled. Unlike day one, more passengers were seen near the arrival gate than at the departure area. Most said they were either going home or returning home to Delhi.

Yash C (24) had taken a flight from Mumbai to Delhi on Tuesday morning and was waiting to board another one to Amritsar, his hometown. “I work in advertising in Mumbai. I was there through the lockdown but it was getting a little hectic to manage working from home and doing household chores. So, I decided to return home and stay with my parents,” he said, lauding the safety precautions taken in flight.

Ashish Tiwari (48) also turned up hours in advance at the airport to board his night flight to Lucknow. “I work in Delhi for a multi-national company so I got stuck here when the lockdown was announced. But it has been too long and I want to go back home to my family. I came early expecting delays and chaos but it all seems smooth here,” he said.

There were also those who had got stuck in other cities. Gopal Singh (66) arrived Tuesday with his wife, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. “My son passed away late last year due to a heart attack. We had gone to Surat to bring back my grandchildren and daughter-in-law when the lockdown was announced. Now, we have brought them to Gurgaon where we stay,” he said.

Rajinder Kaur (60) took a flight to Delhi as her son and daughter insisted: “They stay and work here. They insisted I come here now if I have the chance, so I took the flight. My husband had reached by road a few days ago for his kidney treatment. I was worried but it all seems to have gone smoothly,” she said.

In fact, several were travelling for medical reasons. Dr Deepali Khandelwal (45) arrived with her husband and nephew. “My husband has had jaundice for the last 6-8 weeks. We have an appointment tomorrow at ILBS because he needs urgent attention. It’s an emergency situation so we had to take the risk,” she said.

Some people also said they were travelling for work. Vatsala Singh (26), a lawyer for the Indian Army, said she was travelling to join her regiment.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:

Coronavirus domestic flights