Bhubaneswar | Several passengers staged a protest at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here on Thursday over the cancellation of a flight to Hyderabad twice.

Many of them claimed their work schedule was hampered due to the cancellations.

According to the agitating passengers, their flight to Hyderabad from Bhubaneswar, operated by a private airline, was cancelled on Wednesday. They alleged that they were told the flight was rescheduled on Thursday but it was cancelled again, thus inconveniencing them.

They also alleged that the authorities at the airport did not inform them about any specific reason for the cancellations.

The Director of BPIA, Bhubaneswar, Prasanna Pradhan, said there was a delay in the flight's arrival from Hyderabad on Thursday due to technical issues.

“However, the flight landed in Bhubaneswar at 11.15 am on Thursday and was ready to fly to the destination. Safety is the first and foremost priority in case of technical issues and the passengers should accept the delay,” Pradhan said.