Gorakhpur, Jagran Correspondent: Continuous flight delays and mismanagement at Gorakhpur Airport have now affected even a Union Minister, who had to wait over two hours to board his flight to Delhi. Passengers arriving from Delhi were also stuck inside the aircraft due to unavailability of parking space on the apron, creating panic and frustration.
Union Minister Forced to Wait for Over Two Hours
The Union Minister arrived at the airport on time at 4:30 PM for an IndiGo flight to Delhi, but the aircraft departed nearly two hours late. He had to spend about 90 minutes in the Airport Director’s office waiting for the flight.
Passengers Trapped in Aircraft
Passengers arriving from Delhi on the same flight were not allowed to deboard, as the aircraft had to be parked on a taxiway due to no empty apron space. The lack of available parking made them wait inside the plane for over an hour, sparking visible anger. Several passengers complained to the airport staff and shared their experience on social media.
Repeated Delays Becoming Routine
This is not an isolated incident. For the past month, frequent delays and last-minute schedule changes have been reported at Gorakhpur Airport. On Friday alone:
- 9:30 AM IndiGo flight from Delhi was delayed by one hour
- 1:50 PM flight to Hyderabad departed 47 minutes late
- 2:50 PM Akasa flight to Delhi departed at 3:37 PM
- 3:15 PM Delhi to Gorakhpur IndiGo flight landed at 4:58 PM, and returned at 6:04 PM after a delay of two hours
- Flights to Mumbai and Bengaluru were delayed by one hour and 42 minutes respectively
- SpiceJet flight from Delhi was canceled
Technical Bottleneck: Only Two Aprons at the Airport
Currently, Gorakhpur Airport has just two aprons — one for a large aircraft (like a Boeing) and another for smaller aircraft. When two large aircraft arrive at the same time, one must wait on the taxiway until the other departs.
This not only delays flights but also forces passengers to remain seated inside aircraft for long periods, causing serious inconvenience.
Three New Aprons Under Construction, Completion Delayed to July
To address the growing air traffic, the Indian Air Force is constructing three new aprons at the airport. Initially expected to be completed by early May, construction delays have now pushed the timeline to July.
Until the new aprons are ready, flight operations and passenger convenience will continue to be affected.
Relief Expected from July
Airport Director R.K. Parashar stated that once the new aprons are operational, aircraft parking and movement will become smoother, significantly reducing delays and passenger discomfort.
