VISAKHAPATNAM: Flight operations at Vizag Airport are gradually returning to normal after several days of disruptions, with a steady decline in the number of cancelled and delayed flights since December 7. According to airport data, 62 flight movements are scheduled each day.
The number of cancelled movements stood at 3 on December 3, 14 on December 4, 30 on December 5, 18 on December 6, 20 on December 7, 16 on December 8, 14 on December 9 and 10 on December 10.
Airport officials said this downward trend indicates an improvement in operations, especially when compared to the peak disruption period.
On December 10, although 10 flights were cancelled, no flight was delayed by more than 30 minutes. This marks a clear improvement from December 4, when delays beyond 30 minutes peaked at 32.
IndiGo, which operates 42-44 flights a day, accounted for most of the cancellations between December 3 and 7. The airline cancelled 30 flights on December 5 and 20 flights on December 7.
The number of cancellations has since come down to 16 on December 8, 14 on December 9 and 10 on December 10. Other airlines including Air India, Air India Express, India One Air and Scoot largely maintained their schedules during the period, with a few delays.
Vizag International Airport Director N Purushottam said, “From December 3, IndiGo flights have been cancelled, and we have taken measures to minimise inconvenience to affected passengers. At the airport, we have provided facilities to passengers through the airlines.”
“We have arranged for luggage delivery, with 21 out of 27 bags delivered to passengers. The remaining six will be delivered door-to-door by IndiGo,” he added.
Passengers whose flights were cancelled are being given a 100% refund. The Director noted that the airport earlier handled around 4,000 passengers daily, but this number has fallen by more than half following the disruptions.
Still, the airport has continued to handle 58-62 scheduled movements per day. Airport authorities said help desks, real-time flight information and coordination with airlines are in place to assist travellers and that normal operations are expected to resume soon.