Airfares almost triple as IndiGo services continue to remain disrupted

Airfares between Mangaluru and other important cities, including Mumbai, have almost tripled even as the Union Civil Aviation Ministry ordered keeping the flight duty time limitations (FDTL) orders of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in abeyance with immediate effect, on Friday.

Mangaluru International Airport, in a statement here, said 18 flights, nine each arrivals and departures of IndiGo, were cancelled on Friday.

For travel on Sunday, the fares on Mumbai-Mangaluru-Mumbai sector shot up to ₹25,000 as against the normal average fares of ₹6,000 to ₹8,000, said Yeshwant Kadri, a Mangaluru resident. Similarly, the fares on Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Bengaluru sector rose to about ₹18,000 as against the normal average of ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 for Sunday, he said. Air India Express was the lone carrier operating the services, he added.

Meanwhile, hundreds of travellers continued to face hardships as many of the IndiGo flights were cancelled to and from Mangaluru International Airport to different destinations.

Arrangements made

The airport said it complemented efforts by IndiGo in extending all possible assistance to passengers hit by the crisis that the airline faced. The airport placed 3-seater chairs in the departure area and provided water bottles to assist IndiGo passengers.

The duty terminal manager patiently handled continuous phone queries from passengers keen to know the status of their flights as the airline staff battled the barrage. Passengers were informed of the status of flight cancellations updated in the Flight Information Display System (FIDS), the statement added.

The medical team at the airport also administered first aid to an IndiGo passenger, aged 30, who complained of dizziness and generalised weakness outside the airline reservation counter. Her vitals were normal. The team gave first aid check-up and treatment. The passenger is stable, the airport said.