Centre sidesteps Parliament questions about flight cancellations at Hindon Airport, compensation paid to affected passengers

The Centre on Thursday sidestepped a series of questions on flight cancellations at Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad, declining to disclose the number of cancelled flights, affected passengers and compensation paid, while only stating that the airport has handled 15,800 aircraft movements since becoming operational.

Replying to a question by Lok Sabha MP Arun Govil, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol did not furnish the data sought on flight cancellations, passenger disruption or compensation at the Air Force-civil enclave.

Instead, the minister said a total of 15,800 aircraft movements had taken place at Hindon Airport since its inauguration. Hindon Airport was officially inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on March 8, 2019, for commercial operations.

The government said flights are generally operated as per approved schedules but may be delayed or cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances, including adverse weather, technical issues, operational constraints, air traffic control restrictions, ramp congestion and airport-related issues. However, the reply did not provide the number of flights cancelled since the airport commenced operations, the number of passengers affected or how many passengers had received compensation and the amount paid.

The Centre also did not directly respond to the query on whether flights from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport continue to operate when services from Hindon are cancelled because of bad weather, nor did it outline any operational plan with the Indian Air Force to minimise such disruptions.

Instead, the government referred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), which prescribe facilities and compensation to be provided by airlines to passengers affected by flight cancellations, delays and denied boarding. The reply effectively left unanswered most of the operational and passenger-related issues raised in Parliament regarding Hindon Airport.