Kolkata-Bagdogra flights cancelled due to fog, passengers not informed

SNS, Siliguri, 29 December 2013: A Kolkata-Bagdogra-Kolkata Air India flight was cancelled due to fog induced poor visibility at Bagdogra airport today. The flight could not take-off from Kolkata. The passengers of the flights expressed grievances for allegedly not informing them about the cancellation. The Air India flight was cancelled due to poor visibility at the airport yesterday also. A resident of Kolkata, Mr Sudipta Biswas, said the Air India authority could not inform them on time over the flight cancellation. “We came to know about the last moment that the flight has been cancelled. The authority told us to arrange alternatives. Finally, I managed to cancel my ticket and rushed to the NJP station to get a train for Kolkata,” he said. Mr Sudipta Biswas, who had come with his family for Darjeeling and Sikkim tour. Mr Biswas works in the IT sector. 

Another passenger, Mr Sudipta Chowdhury said the airline authority could not assure them whether the flight would be available tomorrow also. 

“When we approached them, the authority could not assure whether the Air India flight service would be resumed tomorrow. Since it is uncertain, so I decided to go by bus," Mr Chowdhury said. According to the airport sources, at least 144 passengers were supposed to board on the flight today. 

However, the Air India airport station manager Mr Bhaskar Roy, said they were trying to arrange accommodations for the stranded passengers in the hotels. 

“The flight could not take-off from Kolkata due to poor visibility at the Bagdogra airport. We are trying to address the problems of those passengers. We are trying to accommodate them in hotels,” Mr Roy said. 

Train services were disrupted in north Bengal due to fog today. All important trains were running behind schedule. Railway officials were in trouble to clear the track at New Jalpaiguri station when several trains arrived there late. 

Three important NJP-bound trains were detained at Rangapani railway station.