Ahmedabad: Chaos broke out at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport on Tuesday morning after an Air India Express flight to Goa was abruptly canceled. Passengers scheduled for the 10:50 am departure staged a loud protest inside the terminal, shouting “Air India हाय हाय” after claiming they received no clear explanation or assistance from airline staff.

Agitated passengers gathered near the boarding area, repeatedly demanding clarity about the next steps. One passenger urged airline employees to arrange immediate refunds at the airport itself, saying, “We don’t want to hear that the refund will come in your account two or three days later.”

According to passengers, the flight was canceled shortly before takeoff, despite the fact that many had already reached the airport and completed the check-in process.

Passenger Deepbhai Patel, who was booked on the flight, linked the situation to broader operational issues. He alleged that Air India Express, a Tata Group airline, faces frequent technical problems across various airports in the country. “Such cancellations are very common—not just in Ahmedabad but elsewhere too,” he said, adding that passengers are often left stranded without proper guidance.

Patel further claimed that the airline “has no proper SOP to handle cancellations,” and that junior staff and female employees are pushed forward to deal with frustrated passengers in the absence of senior officials. “They don’t send anyone responsible to speak to us,” he said. DeshGujarat