41,000 passengers stranded at Mumbai, Delhi airports

Data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said altogether 41,435 passengers have got stuck at the two international airports, and that several days would be required to clear the backlog.

In Mumbai, thousands remain stranded in the airport as disruption in flight services continued for the fourth day.

All flights to destinations like London and Paris remained cancelled on Monday, although Air India and Jet Airways resumed some of the flights through other routes.

Accommodation has been one of the major worry for the passengers stuck in the city as airlines stop footing the bill for them calling it a situation of natural calamity.

As hotels near Mumbai airport are packed to the brim, passengers  are forced to stay outside the departure terminal.

To deal with the situation, the Civil Aviation Ministry has set up a control room that would coordinate among the External Affairs Ministry, the DGCA and the airlines flying out of India and would function 12 hours a day from 8 AM until the situation becomes normal.

Ministry’s warning
The ministry has also warned airlines not to exploit the adverse situation by overcharging passengers, including those transferred to them, and advised the carriers to facilitate departures and onward travel. Ministry officials said they would be closely monitoring the services.

Meanwhile, the ministry advised passengers to postpone their travel plans, particularly to European destinations unless for emergency needs.

“The situation is still grim in Europe. The officials are meeting shortly to take stock. We will be intimated thereafter,” Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhavan Nambiar told reporters here.

He said Air India and Jet Airways would be flying through other routes from Monday till the situation improved in Europe. Air India will fly to the United  States and Canada via Cairo while Jet will fly to these destinations via Athens. Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines on Monday cancelled their flights to the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe.

Nambiar further said: “The control room will also deal with issues concerning passengers. We have met all airline operators and External Affairs Ministry officials to expedite the transfer of passengers to their destinations.”

Control Room Phone: [phone] Extn. 2333.

Fax of the offices of Civil Aviation Ministry officials;

24655839 (Joint Secretary)

24653446 (Director)

24610364 (Under Secretary)