Bhubaneswar: An unusual scene unfolded in Karnataka’s Hubballi where a newly married couple joined their own wedding reception via video conferencing after they failed to reach Hubballi due to multiple Indigo flight cancellations.
Medha Kshirsagar of Hubballi and Sangam Das of Bhubaneswar, both software engineers working in Bengaluru, tied the knot November 23 in Bhubaneswar. Their wedding reception was scheduled for December 3 at Gujarat Bhavan in Hubballi, the bride’s hometown.
The couple had booked tickets for December 2 to travel from Bhubaneswar to Hubballi via Bengaluru. But after repeated delays, their flight was finally cancelled on the morning of December 3. The disruption occurred as Indigo cancelled hundreds of flights nationwide due to pilot shortages and operational issues.
With the reception venue already prepared and guests gathered, the bride’s family could not cancel the event at the last moment. The couple, dressed in traditional attire in Bhubaneswar, joined the reception through video conferencing. The bride’s parents performed the customary rituals while seated in the chairs reserved for the couple.
Indigo, which operates about 2,200 flights daily, had cancelled more than 500 flights Thursday, the highest single-day cancellations in its history. The airline has said disruptions may continue until December 8.