NEW DELHI: Airlines including SpiceJet, IndiGo, GoAir and Vistara have either cancelled or rescheduled their flights to Dibrugarh and Guwahati in the wake of anti-Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) protests in Assam.
IndiGo, the country’s largest airline has cancelled a few Guwahati and Dibrugarh bound flights for December 12, and is offering rescheduling/cancellation fee waiver to the passengers travelling to/from Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Jorhat till December 13, 2019.
“With respect to the ongoing unrest situation in Assam, a few Guwahati and Dibrugarh bound IndiGo flights stand cancelled for December 12, 2019. We are operating relief flights at capped fares for passengers who are currently at these locations,” IndiGo said.
When checked at 8 pm on Thursday, most of the airlines have kept airfares from Dibrugarh/Guwahati to major cities within the reach of normal fliers. One way ticket on the Guwahati-Kolkata route for Friday was listed at a starting price of Rs 3,600, while for Guwahati-Delhi, it was around Rs 6,600.
SpiceJet is also offering full refund to its fliers for travels to and from Guwahati and Dibrugarh till December 13, while GoAir said, “we’re offering fee waiver on cancellation/rescheduling (fare difference, if any, will be applicable) to our customers flying to/from #GAU till December 13, 2019.”
Vistara is also offering free change/cancellation to Guwahati and Dibrugarh flights till December 15. On Twitter, it said, “As per government advice due to current disturbances in Assam, flight UK725 (IXB - DIB) and UK726 (DIB-IXB) are cancelled for today. We are offering free change/cancellation to Guwahati and Dibrugarh flights through Sunday, December 15.”
Assam has been witnessing unrest in the wake of protests against the CAB, passed by Parliament on Wednesday. Guwahati and Dibrugarh have been placed under indefinite curfew till further orders. The proposed amendments seek to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan facing persecution there.
Assam on the boil
Guwahati and its district Dibrugarh have been placed under indefinite curfew till further orders in the wake of protests after the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill