Pune: MP and Mos Civil Aviation Mohol ensures safe return of 120 students of Pune school after missed flight
Pune MP and MoS Civil Aviation ensured safe return for 120 students of Pune school after missed flight: Image for representation
Pune, October 19, 2024: Murlidhar Mohol MP, Pune and MoS Civil Aviation, facilitated the safe return of 120 students and 15 teachers of a Pune school, who missed their Delhi-Pune flight.
The group was in North India for an educational tour, organized by the tour operators Punekar Edu Initiatives. They were scheduled to fly back that night, October 16, but their buses got caught up in heavy evening traffic of Delhi as they were traveling back from Jalandhar to Delhi Airport and could not make it to the airport in time for their return flight.
Their return flight was scheduled for 8:20 PM on Wednesday, 16th October. The group departed from Jalandhar at 7:30 AM, intending to reach Delhi two hours early for the flight, allowing for a half-hour lunch break along the way. However, approximately 25 km from Delhi airport, their bus became stuck in a traffic jam.
As the crisis started to develop, school and tour authorities were getting very worked up on how to get the students back safely to Pune. It was not easy to rebook such a large group on such a short notice and since it involved young children, everybody was getting anxious.
In this moment of realization, they suddenly remembered that Murlidhar Mohol, MoS for Civil Aviation, is an MP from Pune and a leader always ready to help. They immediately contacted Mohol for help, getting a swift reaction in response. Mohol’s Pune office immediately notified the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, which promptly coordinated with Indigo Airlines and airport authorities to book new flights for all 140 persons together, including students and teachers.
Indigo Airlines, in coordination with the airport authorities and the Ministry, organized passage for all the group members into the next available flights. All the students, teachers, and organizers returned back to Pune safely on the same night.
The airline took the details of the children and their exact bus location. Once they arrived at the airport, some students were accommodated on the 9:15 PM flight, while others were placed on the 11:30 PM flight. IndiGo staff assisted with the security checks for the children.
A representative of Punekar Edu Initiatives, Leena Mhaswade said, “This incident has deepened our faith in Mohol Saheb and the entire system. We are very satisfied that we have elected an efficient and people-oriented MP who truly cares for us.” The Organizers also extended their gratitude to the Ministry staff, airport personnel and Indigo Airlines for their prompt help and dedication towards student safety during the visit.
