Chennai: Angry passengers this morning (Oct 26, 2004) besieged the Air Deccan counter at Chennai airport after a flight in which they were to fly to Delhi via Hyderabad was cancelled for "operational reasons".

Airport sources said the passengers, including five of them who were travelling under Rs 500 scheme, were irritated when the flight did not take off for nearly 90 minutes. A total of 140 passengers were to go by this flight.

The flight was to take off at 5:40 am but only at about 7:00 am the Air Deccan officials told the passengers that the flight had been cancelled due to "operational reasons".

Angry passengers then besieged the airlines' counter and in the melee a windowpane of the counter was broken.

The airport officials soon rushed and pacified the passengers.

The airline said the passengers were free to fly in the same ticket by October 29.

The sources said even yesterday the same flight had been cancelled.