G20 Summit: Dozens of flights likely affected; airlines provide fee waiver

New Delhi: In connection with the G20 Summit, dozens of flights are likely to be impacted at the Delhi airport over the course of three days starting on September 8. Airlines are giving waivers of fees for passengers wishing to reschedule their trip dates.

Officials in the know on Tuesday said airlines are making adjustments to their flight operations and select flights are being cancelled or rescheduled.

One of the officials said that around 120 flights are likely to be impacted during the September 8-10 period.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), operated by DIAL, in the national capital is the country's largest airport and handles around 1,300 flights daily.

On August 26, DIAL said it had received requests from airlines for cancellation of 80 departing and as many arriving domestic flights during three days from September 8.

"Due to elaborate regulations on vehicular movement planned by the Delhi Traffic Police, in view of the G20 Summit that is expected to impact approach routes to the IGI Airport, New Delhi, we have made some adjustments to our flight operations to and from Delhi.

"We have cancelled selected flights while some others have been rescheduled," Vistara said in a post on platform X on Tuesday.

The airline said that it was offering a waiver of the change fee for one-time rescheduling for bookings on these dates.

"We are also assisting the impacted customers with rescheduling or refunds, as applicable," it added.

The full-service carrier has also requested customers scheduled to travel between September 8-11 are requested to check its website for their flight status in advance to avoid any inconvenience.

Air India said there will be traffic restrictions in Delhi between September 7 and 11.

"As a measure of goodwill, passengers holding confirmed tickets to fly to or from Delhi on these dates are being offered a one-time waiver of applicable charges, if they wish to change their date of travel or their flight. Only the fare difference for the rescheduled flight, if any, would be applicable," it said in a post on X.

In an earlier post, the airline had mentioned "travel restrictions".

There was no statement from the country's largest airline IndiGo regarding flight operations during the summit.

In a post on X, SpiceJet said the G20 Summit in Delhi may cause road closures and diversions, leading to longer travel times than usual.

"All passengers are requested to ensure a timely arrival at the airport for their SpiceJet flight. Check-in counters close 60 minutes prior to departure," it added.

The G20 Summit will be held on September 9 and 10.

IGIA is operated by the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by the GMR Group.

On August 26, DIAL had also said that the airport is fully equipped with ample parking space for aircraft during the summit period.

With PTI inputs