Flyers left in the cold as delays surge

More than 2.39 million passengers were directly affected by delays in the first 11 months of the year, a 27% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

MORE THAN 2.39 MILLION passengers were directly affected by delays in the first 11 months of the year, a 27% increase compared to the same period in 2023. To compensate, airlines distributed ₹29.75 crore in facilities to the inconvenienced travellers—a steep 41% rise over the previous year. Yet, these measures fell short of easing passenger dissatisfaction.

A host of factors contributed to the spike in delays, with the most common being 'reactionary delays'. This DGCA-defined category arises when the late arrival of aircraft, crew, passengers, or cargo from a previous flight sets off a cascading effect. Additional causes included nearly 1,000 hoax bomb calls, a Microsoft CrowdStrike outage, mass pilot absenteeism and adverse weather conditions.