Five-hour flight delay annoys Kumbh Mela pilgrims

Hyderabad: A significant delay in the departure of a Prayagraj-bound flight on Friday caused frustration among passengers at Shamshabad Airport. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 10:30 am, was delayed by five hours, leading to severe inconvenience for travelers, including Telugu filmstar Vijay Devarakonda and several IAS and IPS officers.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad has been experiencing a surge in passenger traffic, particularly among those traveling to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela. Many passengers, who had paid between Rs 25,000 and Rs 35,000 for their tickets, expressed their dissatisfaction over the prolonged delay.

According to reports, the SpiceJet flight was delayed due to a technical snag. After hours of uncertainty, the airline finally informed passengers that the flight would take off at 4:00 pm. Among those affected were Vijay Devarakonda and a group of bureaucrats, including two IAS and eight IPS officers. The Maha Kumbh Mela, which commenced on January 13, is now in its final phase, with most of the Amrit Snans completed and Sadhus from various Akharas departing from Kumbh Nagar.

Despite this, a steady stream of devotees continues to arrive as the festival culminates on Maha Shivaratri, February 26.

This is not the first instance of flight delays at the Shamshabad Airport. Just a few days ago, on February 5, an Alliance Air flight bound for Tirupati was delayed for over four hours due to a technical glitch. The flight, carrying 46 passengers, was originally scheduled to depart at 5:30 am but was ultimately canceled at the last minute. Many passengers, who had planned their trip for darshan at Tirumala, were left disappointed and protested airline’s handling of the situation.

Similarly, in January, an Oman Air flight from Hyderabad to Muscat faced an eight-hour delay before being ultimately canceled due to an air conditioning malfunction. The flight, scheduled to depart at 3:00 pm on January 30, left passengers stranded.