Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JD)
Mangaluru, Dec 31: Chaos erupted at Mangaluru international airport here on Saturday December 31 as a Jet Airways flight bound for Sharjah got delayed and ultimately cancelled, leaving several passengers stranded.
About 168 passengers were scheduled to take the Jet Airways flight from here to Sharjah at 9 am. However, at the last minute, the flight was rescheduled to 10.30 am, and then to 1.30 am. At around 11 am, the passengers were informed that the flight had been cancelled, said Richard, one of the passengers, speaking to daijiworld.
No reason was given for the delay and cancellation, he said.
According to sources, the passengers were also told that there is no other flight to replace the cancelled one for the next three or four days.
"People came to the airport early morning without even having breakfast to catch the 9 am flight," Richard said.
Sources said that a quarrel ensued where passengers demanded the authorities to serve them breakfast, and finally, after heated exchange of words, the officials relented.
According to another passenger, the reason given for the cancellation was that another flight from Mumbai bound for Sharjah landed in Muscat instead due to fog. As the same plane was supposed to arrive in Mangaluru to ferry the passengers, but could not, the flight had to be cancelled.
"Some of us have duties to attend tomorrow and some have other urgent committments. Despite knowing in advance that the flight would be delayed, the authorities did not inform us on time," the passengers said.
Jet Airways officials were not reachable despite several attempts to contact them.
As per recent reports, the passengers have not left the airport yet. They have demanded that they should be flown to Sharjah today itself. Till 3 pm, they were not served any lunch.
Meanwhile, as per recent reports from the passengers of the cancelled flight, only 10 passengers were told that they would be sent to Sharjah today through an arrangement with another flight. But that promise too could not be kept, it is learnt.
All the passengers returned home from the airport after the management told them that they would be able to fly on Sunday January 1 at 10 am to Mumbai and then to Dubai at 4 pm.
Jet Airways offered refund of airfare, but as per sources, no one opted for it.