Ludhiana: Inaugurated by chief minister Bhagwant Mann on September 6, the Ludhiana-Ghaziabad flight has hit turbulence in the first week itself, with technical snags and diversions hitting its schedule on at least three days. The flight actually followed its schedule only on two occasions — during the inaugural flight last Wednesday and on Monday.
It is supposed to fly only five days in a week and Mann had announced last week that it would be seven days a week from next year. This, however, is not the only teething issue for the flight. Though Mann had announced the fare for initial three months would be just Rs 999 per passenger, operator FlyBig’s website showed that a September 14 ticket from Ludhiana to Ghaziabad was priced at Rs 5,248 and the return ticket for the same day was priced at Rs 2,098.
The flight had to be diverted due to visibility issues in Ludhiana on Tuesday and this Wednesday, said sources. While Tuesday’s flight landed in Dehradun, the one on Wednesday was expected to be diverted to Amritsar.
There has been no lack of passengers. Talking to TOI, FlyBig executive vice-president Rajiv Sharma confirmed that the flight faced technical issues on Friday.
He added the flight was not scheduled on Sunday. He also confirmed the diversions caused by visibility issues on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said on Wednesday, the number of passengers in the flight to Hindon (Ghaziabad) was 13 and seven on the return flight. He said if flights continue to be diverted, it would show on the occupancy.
Sharma, when asked about the price, said not all seats were priced at Rs 999 and passenger could get such seats if they book their tickets on time. He added the rates were dynamic and some tickets, especially for the last seats, could be costlier than usual.
Meanwhile, an Airports Authority of India official said the flight could face cancellations and diversions in coming time, as visibility had fallen due to fog at Sahnewal airport in winter.
It is supposed to fly only five days in a week and Mann had announced last week that it would be seven days a week from next year. This, however, is not the only teething issue for the flight. Though Mann had announced the fare for initial three months would be just Rs 999 per passenger, operator FlyBig’s website showed that a September 14 ticket from Ludhiana to Ghaziabad was priced at Rs 5,248 and the return ticket for the same day was priced at Rs 2,098.
The flight had to be diverted due to visibility issues in Ludhiana on Tuesday and this Wednesday, said sources. While Tuesday’s flight landed in Dehradun, the one on Wednesday was expected to be diverted to Amritsar.
There has been no lack of passengers. Talking to TOI, FlyBig executive vice-president Rajiv Sharma confirmed that the flight faced technical issues on Friday.
He added the flight was not scheduled on Sunday. He also confirmed the diversions caused by visibility issues on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said on Wednesday, the number of passengers in the flight to Hindon (Ghaziabad) was 13 and seven on the return flight. He said if flights continue to be diverted, it would show on the occupancy.
Sharma, when asked about the price, said not all seats were priced at Rs 999 and passenger could get such seats if they book their tickets on time. He added the rates were dynamic and some tickets, especially for the last seats, could be costlier than usual.
Meanwhile, an Airports Authority of India official said the flight could face cancellations and diversions in coming time, as visibility had fallen due to fog at Sahnewal airport in winter.
About The Author
