Digital Desk: Due to a one-day pilot
strike, Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa had to postpone 800 flights throughout
the world, leaving 700 passengers stuck at the T3 terminal at Delhi's Indira
Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. Strong protests were made yesterday night
at the Delhi airport by stranded travellers and their family members.
"At 12:15 AM, IGI Airport received information indicating
that a mob had collected on the main road in front of Departure Gate No. 1 in
Terminal 3. When they arrived, they discovered that there were about 150 people
there, and that the traffic had slowed down as a result. The mob demanded that
their relatives who were present inside the terminal building receive a refund
or other alternative arrangement "claimed the airport police.
Two flights by the Lufthansa airline that go from Delhi to
Frankfurt and Munich were cancelled on Friday.
"Upon investigation, it was discovered that two Lufthansa
flights had been cancelled. Both Lufthansa flights LH 761 (Delhi to Frankfurt),
planned to depart at 2.50 AM with 300 passengers, and LH 763 (Delhi to Munich),
due to depart at 1.10 AM with 400 passengers, were cancelled "an official
declared.
According to Airport police, "both flights were cancelled
by Lufthansa headquarters owing to a one-day worldwide strike of all pilots of
Lufthansa airline demanding assessments."
Due to the movement of Lufthansa passengers inside the terminal
building after a Lufthansa Airlines aircraft was cancelled, security concerns
had been raised at the Delhi airport last night.
"Following inquiries, it was discovered that the majority
of the group was made up of family members and/or relatives of passengers from
flights LH 761 and LH 763. They grew furious when they learned that the flights
had been cancelled on short notice. The situation was managed by the airport
workers and the CISF. The crowd quickly split up. The airline business is
making efforts to provide alternate arrangements for the passengers, "DCP
at IGI airport Tanu Sharma said.
In a widely shared video, travellers can be heard yelling at the
airport and demanding justice and a refund. The majority of those scheduled to
fly on Lufthansa last night were students, according to officials.
Following the pilots' union's announcement of a one-day strike,
Germany's Lufthansa airline today cancelled 800 flights throughout the world,
presumably affecting 1,30,000 customers.
Lufthansa said while it was working to normalise the situation,
"isolated cancellations or delays" on Saturday or Sunday were also
possible.
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