Monday, July 5, 2010

Bandh has little impact on flight operations at Delhi airport

'Bharat Bandh', called by a combined opposition on Monday in protest against fuel price hike, had little affect on flight operations at the IGI Airport barring those coming from Kolkata and Mumbai.

The airlines, which combined flights and operated curtailed schedules, witnessed an average fall of 25 per cent in the number of passengers against any other day.

About 40 flights to and from Mumbai and Kolkata to the national Capital remained cancelled while four Air-India flights --three on Delhi-Mumbai and one on Delhi-Kolkata sectors-- operated after being merged with other flights on the same sectors.

"About 20 incoming flights from Mumbai and Kolkata and a similar number to those destinations remained cancelled, of which 12 were of Jet, JetLite and JetKonnect, six of Kingfisher, five of IndiGo, two of SpiceJet and five of GoAir," airport officials said.

National carrier Air-India cancelled four of its flights to Mumbai and Kolkata and merged them with other flights operating on the same sector later in the day, he added.

In a bid to avoid last minute cancellations of flights and anticipating a low passenger turn-out due to the strike call, most of the airlines announced in advance that no flights to these destinations would take off.

"Most of the airlines had informed the travellers well in advance about the cancellations and planned to operate their flights with a curtailed schedule.

"We have witnessed an average fall of 25 per cent in the number of passengers against any other normal day but on sectors like the Northeast we have witnessed a huge fall of 40 per cent," an official of a private airline said.

Normal life was disrupted in several parts of the country during the stir organised by the Opposition, with the greatest impact felt in NDA and Left-ruled states and also Maharashtra.

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