Hundreds stranded at Delhi airport as Lufthansa cancels 800 flights

Around 700 passengers on Friday were stranded at the IGI airport’s Terminal-3 after Germany-based Lufthansa airline cancelled two of its flights due to a pilots' strike, police said.

According to police, more than 100 people, relatives and family members of the stranded passengers gathered outside the airport and demanded refunds or alternate arrangements.

An information was received on Friday at 12:15 am that a crowd has gathered on the main road in front of departure gate number 1, Terminal 3 IGI Airport, a senior police officer said.

The crowd which caused a traffic jam outside demanded a refund or alternate arrangement for their relatives who were present inside the terminal building, Deputy Commissioner of Police (airport) Tanu Sharma said.

When they were told that the flights had been cancelled without any prior intimation, they became agitated. They were later pacified by the CISF and the airport staff.

Sources at the Delhi airport on Friday said, one flight each to Munich and Frankfurt were cancelled by Lufthansa, which impacted nearly 450 passengers.

There was chaos at the airport early in the morning and the affected passengers were later provided refreshments and accommodation, they added.

Two flights of Lufthansa, one of them scheduled to depart at 2:50 am for Frankfurt with 300 passengers, and another for Munich with 400 passengers and scheduled to depart at 1:10 am, were cancelled, the DCP said.

Both flights were cancelled by the Lufthansa headquarters due to a one-day strike of all Lufthansa pilots demanding salary appraisals, police said. The airline is taking steps to make alternate arrangements, police said.

On Thursday, Lufthansa said the strike announced by the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) will have a massive impact on flight operations on Friday.

"Lufthansa has to cancel 800 flights at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich for Friday, with single flights also being cancelled as early as today, Thursday, September 1.

"An estimated 1,30,000 passengers will be affected, in view of the upcoming weekend, the end of the holidays in some parts of Europe.

"Lufthansa is working with joint forces to return its flight operations to a normal status as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the effects of the strike may still lead to individual flight cancellations or delays this Saturday and Sunday," it had said in a statement.