Mangluru: Members of the Indian paddle team, returning from Bangkok to Mangaluru via Bengaluru after a practice session in Singapore, have raised concerns about the mishandling of their sports equipment by Indigo Airlines’ ground staff. Upon arrival in Mangaluru on Feb 29, following payment of a substantial fee of Rs 1,78,000 for equipment booking and additional baggage charges, the team discovered severe damage to three out of their six race boards.

Rammohan Paranjape, the director of Surfing Swami Foundation, expressed his disappointment on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Given that we had paid a whopping Rs 1,78,000 to book the equipment and had also paid for extra baggage, the ground staff ought to have shown the basic courtesy in handling such fragile items with care.” He highlighted the meticulous packing of the equipment with bubble-wrap and extra material in proper travel bags, emphasizing the challenges athletes face in procuring high-end equipment and paying substantial amounts for its safe transportation on flights.

Paranjape mentioned that he had not received any response from the airline at the time of his post. In response, an Indigo representative stated that their team was actively addressing the complaint and maintaining communication with the concerned individuals.

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