Hyderabad: SCR Runs Special Trains Amid IndiGo Flight Disruptions

Hyderabad: With air travel severely disrupted due to large-scale IndiGo flight cancellations, the South Central Railway (SCR) on Saturday announced the operation of four special trains from Hyderabad to accommodate the sudden surge in stranded passengers.

According to an official release, the special services were introduced to help clear the heavy rush of travellers heading towards Chennai, Mumbai, and Shalimar (Kolkata) after multiple flights were called off.

Dozens of Flights Cancelled at Hyderabad Airport

Airport officials confirmed that 43 outbound IndiGo flights were cancelled from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Saturday alone. In addition, 26 arriving flights were also affected during the day, adding to the growing travel chaos.

The sudden wave of cancellations left passengers frustrated, with long queues forming at IndiGo help counters as flyers demanded clarity on their travel status.

Passengers Vent Anger on Social Media

Several passengers took to social media platform X to express their outrage over the lack of timely information.

Former Ministry of Defence spokesperson Tarun Singha wrote that despite completing DigiYatra formalities and receiving a rescheduled departure message, he only learned that his flight was cancelled after reaching the airport security checkpoint.

Another passenger alleged there was no airline staff or flight information available for nearly an hour, claiming that only after a traveller raised his voice over a microphone did IndiGo staff respond.

IndiGo CEO Issues Apology

On Friday, following the cancellation of over 1,000 flights across the country, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers released a video message apologising for the inconvenience caused to passengers. He also stated that the airline was expecting to operate fewer than 1,000 flights nationwide on Saturday as operations gradually stabilise.