Delhi international airport sees over 80 flight cancellations amid Gulf tensions
NEW DELHI: Flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport were severely impacted following Iran's response to a US attack, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Over 80 flights were cancelled from Monday night to Tuesday evening, including 48 between late Monday and early Tuesday. Air India and IndiGo were among the worst affected.
The airport temporarily suspended flights to key Middle Eastern destinations but resumed services following a ceasefire. Other airports, including Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, and Cochin, also faced delays.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
'Bloody terrified': Flying anxiety peaks in India after fatal Air India crash
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"Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane - the sounds, motion, vibrations ... exposure therapy is the only solution," Dinesh, 55, told Reuters during a tour of the facility where he demonstrated how cockpit controls relate to movements that often worry passengers. The centre has a simulator for a Boeing and Cessna plane to help people experience how landings and takeoffs appear from the cockpit and understand that not every vibration or sound during a flight signals danger. WhatsApp messages Dinesh received, and shared with Reuters, showed individuals complaining about "losing confidence" after the crash while others said it was "too hard on the brain". A chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, has been widely shared on social media and TV channels since the June 12 accident, which aviation and mental health experts said had led to an unusually high number of counselling requests. Some travellers are becoming more choosy in selecting their airline and aircraft - Boeing or Airbus - while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether. "I am filtering on the basis of not having to fly a Boeing ... I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," said London-based Indian marketing consultant Nidhi Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash. Unlike India, Western countries have many more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying, in its most intense form known as aerophobia, as fatal crashes often spike worries among travellers across the world. Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers by research firm Prodege found 55% of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38% had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans. Google Trends data shows searches for the term "flying fear" in India hit "peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched. 'DEBILITATING ANXIETY' Flying is typically seen as a safe mode of transport, and crashes during takeoff are especially rare. The International Civil Aviation Organization said there were 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, its most recent annual air safety report. Of the nine hull loss accidents without fatalities recorded in 2024, only two occurred on take off, according to Airbus' website. The airport CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building all within 60 seconds. The disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers, five mental health experts said. People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said. Others were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of "debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit "to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores" because they are constantly checking messages to see if they have landed, said psychologist Pankti Gohel. In Bengaluru, the $500 Cockpit Vista course is spread over 14 hours and led by Dinesh, who oversaw ground operations during the undeclared 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan and retired as an Air Force wing commander in 2014. 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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
May air traffic remains resilient with only slight dip in numbers despite Operation Sindoor disruptions
The Pahalgam massacre on 22 April set the tone for a retaliation the country knew was coming. Operation Sindoor began on 7 May 2025; the following days saw the closure of airspace as well as several airports across the country. Some passengers who had already cancelled plans to visit Kashmir found themselves stranded at other airports as well. Overall, the industry ended May with 1.4 crore passengers, nearly equivalent to February, which had three fewer days. Traffic was 2 per cent lower than in April, the preceding month, but 1 per cent higher than in May 2024. From January to April, the country had been averaging close to 10 per cent growth over the corresponding months of the previous year. However, May suddenly put the brakes on this fast-paced growth, with June likely to follow suit. IndiGo and Akasa Air gained market share over the preceding month, while the Air India group and SpiceJet lost a portion of theirs. Compared to last May, overall traffic has grown by only 1 per cent, but market dynamics have shifted significantly. IndiGo has gained 3 per cent market share, the Tata group of airlines has lost 1.5 per cent, and SpiceJet has shrunk by a further 1.6 per cent. SpiceJet's market share is now down to 2.4 per cent, the lowest so far this year. Even with the relatively lower numbers in May, the average monthly traffic this year remains higher than in 2024, which had recorded the best-ever figures for civil aviation in India. This comes amid growing calls to lower fares and make air travel more affordable. The Air India group has been losing market share since the mega-merger. In September last year, when the Tata group operated three airlines, Air India, Vistara, and Air India Express, its combined market share stood at 29.2 per cent. With the merger now complete, the group recorded a reduced market share of 26.5 per cent in May. This decline is largely due to its significant exposure to the Srinagar sector, which makes up a considerable portion of its network. All airlines had to pull capacity out of Srinagar at very short notice, leaving little time to redeploy aircraft elsewhere. Additionally, more than 20 airports were closed for varying periods, including major ones like Jammu, Srinagar, Amritsar, and Chandigarh, all of which handle substantial traffic, further affecting deployment and operations. In June, the deadly crash at Ahmedabad led to Air India reducing flights on both international and domestic routes, which will have a higher impact on its market share as it reduces the capacity deployed in the market. The closure of airports led to a drop in flight count, and the overall anticipation of the Indian response had already led to cancellations of many holiday plans. Yet the numbers have managed to hold on to the previous year and are only slightly lower than April. This is largely because passengers quickly changed plans and continued with the holidays, but to a different location. The first quarter of the financial year is typically a strong period for airlines. From mid-April onwards, school holidays boost tourism, with May and June being the peak months before traffic tapers off towards the end of June and into the second quarter. However, this year, the quarter was disrupted by a series of events. The Pahalgam massacre at the end of April was followed by Operation Sindoor in May, and then the Air India crash in June, along with ongoing tensions in West Asia, all of which have impacted overall flight operations. The traditional good quarter for airlines has turned out to be relatively dud. Delhi has started work on the installation of an Instrumentation Landing System (ILS) on one of its runways, which has led to the closure of one runway for three months until mid-September. Flight movements are reduced to ensure smooth work, which will further impact domestic traffic numbers. The April to June quarter may not see airlines report profits like last year, and in some cases, like those of Air India, the recovery period is going to be much longer. However, the numbers for May have proven that a short-term war has not negatively impacted the sector. The sector is robust enough to hold on to its strengths and numbers even in the worst of times.
New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Delhi international airport sees over 80 flight cancellations amid Gulf tensions
NEW DELHI: Flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport were severely impacted following Iran's response to a US attack, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Over 80 flights were cancelled from Monday night to Tuesday evening, including 48 between late Monday and early Tuesday. Air India and IndiGo were among the worst affected. The airport temporarily suspended flights to key Middle Eastern destinations but resumed services following a ceasefire. Other airports, including Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, and Cochin, also faced delays.
