Hyderabad: Operations at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport were severely impacted on Saturday following mass cancellations of Indigo flights across the country. A total of 69 Indigo flights were cancelled 26 inbound and 43 outbound causing widespread disruption for passengers.
Passengers stranded at Hyderabad airport
Many travelers were left stranded at the airport, with those facing medical issues among the worst affected. Some passengers postponed their travel plans, while others began searching for alternative routes.
To manage the fallout, both the Railways and TSRTC launched special services aimed at helping passengers reach their destinations.
South Central Railway launches special trains
The South Central Railway operated multiple special trains connecting Hyderabad to major cities. These included services from Secunderabad to Chennai Egmore, Charlapalli to Shalimar (Kolkata), Hyderabad to Mumbai LTT, Hyderabad to Pune, Charlapalli to Santragachi (Kolkata), and Charlapalli to Yelahanka (Bengaluru).
According to South Central Railway CPRO Sridhar, berths were available and reservation facilities remained open. He urged affected passengers to make use of the available services.
Railway authorities also announced 114 additional trips across the country by deploying 116 extra coaches to 37 premium trains to ease congestion. Several express trains were already running with extra coaches to meet demand.
TSRTC rolls out sleeper buses from airport
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) also responded by operating sleeper buses directly from the airport to key destinations. Two special sleeper buses were stationed at Arrival Ramp Pillar No. 8 to serve routes to Chennai and Bengaluru. Fares were fixed at ₹2,110 to Chennai and ₹1,670 to Bengaluru.
Additional buses to Rajahmundry, Kakinada, and Visakhapatnam were arranged from Zone-D at the airport. TSRTC officials said the decision was made in advance, anticipating higher demand over the weekend, especially from IT professionals traveling to southern cities.
Officials confirmed the special buses departed from the airport on Saturday evening. They added that more services would be introduced based on passenger demand to ensure smooth travel for all.