NEW DELHI: The abrupt announcement of Indigo discontinuing its operations to and from Almaty in Kazakhstan, effective April 27, has turned the vacation of hundreds of Indian travellers into a nightmare. This decision comes after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian flights.
The romantic dreams of many honeymooners in the idyllic Almaty, rated as a cheaper Switzerland, came crashing after news spread that flights operated by the only Indian airline had been cancelled.
A family of four, including two senior citizens, reached India on Wednesday with great difficulty by splitting into two groups from Almaty.
Anita Krishnan (name changed on request) and her husband had to pay over Rs 75,000 by Air Asthana to reach Mumbai instead of the nearly Rs 18,000 fare they had paid on an Indigo flight.
Her brother, S Karthick, and his wife reached Bengaluru by paying Rs 75,708 by Air Arabia via Sharjah, a huge jump from the Rs 33,205 fare of their Indigo tickets. Anita said. “Hundreds of Indians were affected terribly. Many Indian families with senior citizens were in the city. There were many newly married couples, too.”
Multiple calls were made to the Indigo call centre and their nodal office for assistance, she added. “It was only after I mailed the Indian consulate in Kazhakstan and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for help that the airline started responding better.”
An Indigo spokesperson said, “The ticket fare of all the affected passengers is being fully refunded.”