As IndiGo flight cancellations have ruined travel plans for many people, it also deeply affected the Panghal family from Haryana’s Rohtak. Rajnarayan Panghal, an advocate from Mayna village drove through the night, covering nearly 800 km to Indore so his son wouldn’t miss his Class XII pre-board exam, according to a report by The Tribune.
“My son Ashish Chaudhary Panghal (17), a shooting player, studies in 12th, at a college in Indore. He had come home on leave and was scheduled to take his exams on December 8. Before that, he was to be honoured at the college in Indore on December 6 evening. His flight from Delhi to Indore was already booked, and I went to drop him at Delhi airport,” Raj Narayan told the news outlet.
‘I drove overnight’: Father’s determination pays off
He said that when they reached the airport, they found out the Indigo flight to Indore had been cancelled. This meant Ashish would not only miss the award ceremony but could also miss his pre-board exams starting December 8. He added that getting a confirmed train ticket at the last minute was almost impossible.
“Faced with this situation, I decided that, regardless of the cancelled flight and unconfirmed train seat, I would ensure my son reached Indore on time for his exams. The distance from Delhi to Indore is approximately 800-kilometres. Acting on this decision, I drove overnight and successfully reached Indore the next day, ensuring my son arrived on time,” Raj Narayan said.
IndiGo faces heavy criticism as cancellations continue
Meanwhile, IndiGo continued to face backlash as the flight disruptions continued. The Centre also ordered the airline to reduce its operations by 10 per cent on Tuesday.
According to MIAL, more than 40,000 passengers have been affected at Mumbai airport since December 1 because of IndiGo’s ongoing issues. It said that 905 IndiGo flights were cancelled between December 1 and December 8 at the Mumbai airport and another 2,66,567 passengers suffered long delays, according to a report by PTI.