As many as 44 flights connecting the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru, were cancelled on Friday, September 29, consequent on the statewide bandh protesting release of water to Tamil Nadu. The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) officials said that 22 incoming and 22 outgoing flights were cancelled by airlines.
Officially though operational reasons were cited for the cancellation. While several passengers reportedly complained that their tickets were cancelled without any prior notice, airport authorities have said passengers were intimated well in advance. Sources said that the poor load factor because of the bandh lead to the cancellation of the flights.
A majority of the flights are operated by Indigo and Akasa Air and originate from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Mangaluru.
The Karnataka bandh protests reached KIA too, with pro-Kannada activists trying to enter terminal 1. However, the protestors were intercepted by the Bengaluru police and transported out.
In Bengaluru, Kannada activists have taken to the streets in several parts of the city to stage protests and blockades. So far, there have been no reports of violence or untoward incidents, but the police are restricting protests to the Freedom Park, while curbing them in other parts of the city.
On September 26, during the Bengaluru bandh, also over the Cauvery row, around 13 Bengaluru-bound flights belonging to various airlines were cancelled. The airport had cited operational reasons for the cancellation then too.