Richa Chadha shares her flight delay ordeal amid nationwide disruptions
What's the story
Richa Chadha shared her frustrating experiences with flight delays on social media, amid nationwide disruptions on Wednesday. She mentioned that two of her IndiGo flights were delayed by four hours each within three days, while her international flight took off on time. Chadha's post comes as numerous flights across the country face delays due to factors like fog in New Delhi and congestion at Mumbai airport.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Chadha's experience echoes those of actors Radhika Apte and Sonu Sood. A few days ago, Apte shared her ordeal on Instagram, where she and fellow passengers were trapped inside an aerobridge without access to water or restrooms due to a flight delay. Sood also shared his unpleasant travel experience. On Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) to airlines. It asked airlines to cancel flights expected to be delayed for over three hours.
Details
Chadha cited possible reasons for delays
Citing possible reasons for the delays, the 37-year-old actor tweeted, "On the 14th of Jan, there was an air show in Mumbai, because of which the runway was closed in the morning. And then fog/smog in North India—Delhi runway closed. Ripple effect? Flights delayed all over the country, staff overextended." The actor expressed surprise that more passengers hadn't become upset given the high number of delays and cancellations.
Statement
'I am surprised only one person got physically assaulted'
Earlier this week, a passenger, identified as Sahil Kataria, was arrested for assaulting the co-captain of an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Goa. A viral video captured the passenger running from the last row and hitting the co-captain, Anup Kumar. In her post, Chadha also discussed this incident. She wrote, "I am surprised only one person got physically assaulted because tempers were running very high (I don't condone violence)."
Incident
Actor also blamed 'lack of accountability' for the chaos
Lastly, Chadha emphasized the crucial lesson learned from the IndiGo controversy, stating: "Monopoly—whether airlines, airport ownership or leadership—creates lack of accountability. Common citizens suffer, with no recourse." "Till we don't recognize it, we will be at a disadvantage while paying through our noses," she wrote. On the work front, Chadha recently appeared in the film Fukrey 3. She and her husband Ali Fazal are set to produce Girls Will Be Girls under their production banner.
Twitter Post
Chadha shares ordeal on X
On my 3rd flight in 3 days… day 1, @IndiGo6E delayed by over 4 hours. Day 2, @IndiGo6E delayed by 4 hours. But the only direct flights on some routes are often Indigo. Day 3, international flight, no problem.
— RichaChadha (@RichaChadha) January 17, 2024
On the 14th of Jan, there was an air show in Mumbai, because of…