Due to Cyclone Remal, IndiGo Airlines has issued a NOTAM in Kolkata and rescheduled and canceled a number of flights. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notifies pilots of potential hazards that may impact their flight path through Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs).
The storm is predicted to bring maximum sustained wind speeds of 110–120 kmph with gusts as high as 135 kmph. It is expected to land near the Sagar Islands in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh around 11 p.m. on Sunday.
In a statement, the airlines said, “IndiGo has rescheduled and cancelled some flights due to Cyclone REMAL and the NOTAM issued in Kolkata. Passengers have been informed of all changes in advance and being provided real-time updates on social platforms”.
“Mitigation measures have been put in place to avoid inconvenience caused to passengers due to the cyclone,” it added.
According to the Kolkata Airport Authority, a total of 394 flights that were scheduled for arrival or departure including domestic and international have been suspended from Sunday noon to Monday 9 am. This includes 170 domestic tentative departures and 26 international tentative arrivals, officials said.
Passengers complained that the airlines did not inform them about the cancellation of their flights through email or registered phone number. Some of them demanded hotel costs and food allowance from the airline.
Arnab Tarafdar, one of the relatives of the passenger, who had come to the airport to drop off her grandmother, Meera Nandi complained that her grandmother, who is an aged woman, was asked to wait and then informed about the cancellation of her flight.
“My grandmother (Meera Nandi) was asked to wait. After some time she was called to the counter and said that the flight was overbooked and she would not get a seat. She was asked to come tomorrow because all flights later in the day have been cancelled owing to the cyclone. She is an aged woman. Now she has to go back and come again tomorrow,” Arnab Tarafdar said speaking to ANI.
In the meantime, until nine in the morning on May 27, all flights arriving from Kolkata to Agartala are cancelled, according to the Airport Authority of India, Agartala. The corresponding airlines are informing the passengers, and flights from Delhi, Bangalore, and Guwahati are currently running on time. More information is anticipated.
It is anticipated that Cyclone Remal will have a major effect on West Bengal’s coastal region, which includes Kolkata.
