Air India Express Flight Cancellation, Delay Trigger Passenger Protest at Kannur Airport

Kannur: Passengers staged a protest at Kannur International Airport after an Air India Express flight to Dubai was cancelled and another flight to Thiruvananthapuram was delayed on Monday.

The Kannur-Dubai flight was cancelled, leaving passengers who had reached the airport around 6 am stranded. Several passengers said they came to know about the cancellation only after arriving at the airport.

Air India Express, however, said passengers had been informed about the cancellation in advance through email and text messages. The passengers disputed the claim, saying they had not received any such notification.

The airline attributed the cancellation to operational reasons. The aircraft scheduled to operate the Kannur-Dubai service was arriving from Muscat but could not depart from there on time, according to the airline.

Air India said passengers booked on the cancelled flight would either be accommodated on an alternative service or offered a full refund.

Meanwhile, the Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram flight scheduled to depart at 7.05 am was also delayed indefinitely. Airport authorities said the flight was expected to depart at 1.10 pm.

According to Air India, the delay was caused by the late departure of the aircraft arriving from Abu Dhabi.

The cancellation and prolonged delay disrupted passengers' travel plans and prompted them to stage a strong protest at the airport, demanding clarity and immediate arrangements for their onward journey.