CISF bolsters presence as mass flight disruptions spark unrest at Hyderabad airport

Security was visibly tightened at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here on Wednesday after a night of cascading flight delays and cancellations triggered anger, confusion and long stand-offs between passengers and airline staff.

Personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were deployed in larger numbers across boarding gates and waiting areas as tempers rose and crowds swelled. Cyberabad police said they were on alert and prepared to step in if required.

Airport officials said shift timings were urgently reworked to ensure more officers were present on ground, particularly at the boarding gates where the chaos was most concentrated. Teams were reassigned across key sections of the terminal to be able to support airline staff struggling to manage the situation.

According to RGIA sources, nearly 10,000 passengers were hit by the disruptions as 31 IndiGo flights, including 18 arrivals and 13 departures, were cancelled. On a normal day, the airport handles between 80,000 and 90,000 passengers.

The chain reaction began late on Tuesday night after an IndiGo flight to Bengaluru, scheduled to depart at 11.45 p.m., was repeatedly delayed. When boarding was finally completed around 5 a.m., passengers were asked to deplane. Many refused, demanding answers. “The passengers had to be taken off the aircraft, but they simply refused to get down. That was when CISF personnel had to intervene,” said a source with direct knowledge of the incident. The pilot declined to operate the flight, citing “crew legality”, forcing the airline to cancel it.

A group of Ayyappa Swamy devotees heading to Sabarimala in Kerala staged a sit-in at the gates.
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By Arrangement

By Wednesday morning, frustration had turned into open protest. A group of Ayyappa Swamy devotees heading to Sabarimala in Kerala staged a sit-in at the gates. “They keep telling us to come tomorrow or the day after. What are we supposed to do? The staff here say they don’t know anything,” a devotee said. Another added: “Our flight was at 8.40 a.m. It is now past 10.30 a.m. and there is still no update. The staff say they are not even being paid. Our tickets for darshan and return journey are fixed.”

CISF personnel were roped in to handle the agitated crowd.

Airport authorities said they were assisting with crowd movement, shifting passengers from congested gates to waiting areas to make room for other flights.