Bollywood actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood has appealed to the public to remain calm and show empathy towards airline ground staff, even as the ongoing crisis of IndiGo flight cancellations and delays continues to cause chaos across Indian airports.
Sood, whose own family was reportedly stranded at an airport for 4-5 hours due to delays, posted a video on social media on Saturday, urging frustrated passengers to stop “targeting” the staff, whom he called “helpless.”
An Appeal for Empathy
In his video, Sood acknowledged the frustration but argued that the staff are simply doing their jobs and are also victims of the larger operational crisis.
“A delayed flight is frustrating, but remember the faces trying to fix it. Please be nice and humble to the IndiGo staff; they are carrying the weight of cancellations too. Let’s support them,” he wrote.
He added in Hindi, “The way people have reacted, the way fights have happened, it is unfortunate. These are the staff who take care of all of us. There are always smiles on their faces, whether it’s in-flight crew or on-ground crew. They escort us, they take care of us. So it is our responsibility to support them when they are in trouble.”
Netizens Allege ‘Paid PR’
Soon after the video was posted, several netizens criticized the actor, speculating that his show of support for the embattled airline was a “paid PR” campaign aimed at shifting the narrative away from IndiGo’s massive operational failure.
A user named Rajeev Mantri shared Sood’s video and wrote, “Indigo has now started a paid media campaign to shift the narrative! Beware, don’t fall for it! These are sponsored messages put out by the rogue company and its hubristic executives.”
Other comments echoed the sentiment, with users writing, “IndiGo’s PR spin is on overdrive — don’t mistake paid propaganda for public sentiment,” and “Itna kharcha pilots hire karne mein karte toh yeh sab hota hi nahi [If they spent this much money on hiring pilots, this wouldn’t have happened].”
Crisis Response from Railways
Meanwhile, as thousands of passengers remain stranded, the Indian Railways has stepped up to manage the surge in demand. The Ministry of Railways has deployed 116 additional coaches in 37 premium trains, operating over 114 enhanced trips nationwide, to accommodate the rush and ease congestion caused by the widespread flight disruptions.