120 Students Returned Safely to Pune After Missing Flight; Prompt Action by Minister Mohol’s Office Ensured Their Safe Arrival
Pune, 19th October 2024: A group of 120 students from Pune, who had gone on an educational trip to Jalandhar and Delhi, missed their return flight due to traffic congestion while traveling from Jalandhar to Delhi by bus. After realizing they would miss their flight, the students promptly contacted the office of Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in Pune to explain their situation. Mohol’s office quickly coordinated resources to ensure the students were brought back to Pune by plane that same night.
The Punekar Education Initiative organized the trip, which included 140 individuals, consisting of 120 schoolchildren and 20 accompanying adults. 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. Leena Mhaswade from the Punekar Education Initiative stated that after reaching out to Mohol’s Pune office, they were provided with the contact number of an acquaintance in the Delhi office. After making contact, they received a call from IndiGo Airlines within ten minutes.
“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. Thanks to the prompt action from Minister Mohol’s office, the trip reached Pune on Wednesday night,” she added.
