IndiGo is helping a man whose flight to Kolkata on Monday was canceled due to state travel restrictions. The man had sold his goats to raise money for the flight ticket, only to be unable to fly. Let's find out more.

Heartbreaking stories

The man was set to fly from Mumbai to Kolkata, where he had been stranded for two months following the lockdown and flight ban. He had also earned no wages for the last two months due to the lockdown, prompting him to return home to his city near Kolkata. When he learned that flights were set to resume soon, he immediately began planning.

The man, along with two others, began desperately trying to raise funds to book the one-way trip. One of them sold their ring, while the other dipped into savings in order to fund the flight. The third man's wife decided to sell three of their goats to raise Rs. 9600 ($127).

The three migrant workers, who had lived in Mumbai for the last decade, managed to put together the Rs. 30,600 ($404) needed for three one-way tickets to Mumbai. They were booked on an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Kolkata on May 25th, the day domestic flights restarted, only to find out about the cancellation at the airport.

Cancelations and chaos

The first week of domestic flights has been marred with chaos, mainly due to a lack of coordination between central and state governments. States imposed new quarantine rules hours before flights restarted and put limits on how many flights could operate from each airport. These last-minute changes meant airlines had to cancel dozens of flights, angering many who have been waiting months to fly.

Two states, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, delayed their flight resumption, causing further cancelations. Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, delayed flights until May 28th due to damage caused by the recent cyclone. However, it did so at the last moment, causing massive disruptions in flights to one of India's largest cities.

This delay resulted in the cancelation of the flight the three workers were set to take. IndiGo, however, quickly responded to the concerns of the stranded workers. The airline offered to rebook the passengers for free on May 28th (the first available flight) or whenever it was suitable. The workers have opted to fly on June 1st and should be home soon.

Overall

The story of the three migrant workers has become a major one in the last few days, with even the Civil Aviation Minister tweeting about it. Thanks to an outpour of support, IndiGo acted quickly to offer the workers the earliest flight home to ensure their sacrifices do not go to waste. Operations in India's airports have since become smoother, with most flights operating as planned. We hope to see the migrant workers reach home soon and safe.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Let us know in the comments below.