Chaos at city’s international terminal

Confusion reigned at the international airport on Friday, when over 50 passengers of the cancelled Jet Airways flight to London refused to leave the airport terminal until the airline promised to give them priority booking when the flights resume.

Some passengers also alleged that the airline’s attitude was reckless and they did not bother to provide food, water, or accommodation.

Sandeep Chatterjee, 42, spent more than 20 hours at the Sahar international terminal of Mumbai airport since his flight was cancelled. “I checked in at 11pm on April 15 as the airline repeatedly said that the flight will depart on time at 1.15am on Friday.  It was during departure that they announced that the flight has been cancelled and that we have to fend for ourselves,” said Chatterjee, who owns an advertising agency in the United Kingdom and Dubai.

This left him and some other passengers no other choice but to stay put at the terminal. “We want them [airline authorities] to give us an assurance that when the airspace opens, they will send us first. But they say that the passengers who have been booked on those dates will be the first to leave,” Chatterjee complained.

Another passenger, Vijay Kumar, 53, said, “I am a diabetic and a heart patient but the airline is doing nothing for me,” he rued.

The spokesperson for Jet said the airline is monitoring the situation and plans to resume flights as soon as London Heathrow and Brussels airports reopen.