Six shooters from Pune were stranded at the airport and missed their flight to Goa due to alleged confusion and delays by Akasa Air staff regarding the handling of their firearms and ammunition. This incident has put their participation in a crucial pre-national competition at risk.
The shooters, including some from the 'Gun For Glory' academy, arrived well in advance for their flight. According to the father of one of the shooters, Atul Kshirsagar, the Akasa Air ground staff gave conflicting instructions on how to handle the ammunition. He said, "A ground staffer said the ammunition must be carried in check-in baggage and not in the weapon case. After a while, the shooters were told that ammunition must be carried inside the weapon case as hand baggage." This back-and-forth went on until the check-in counter closed.
Another family member, Sham Mankar, said that the airline's "inexperienced staff" took too much time for the security check and "did not know the rules and took forever to fill the forms." The delay ultimately caused the athletes to miss their flight. To make matters worse, a seventh shooter who did manage to board the flight had their rifle withheld at the Pune airport, making their participation in the competition unlikely.
The Gun For Glory academy expressed its disappointment with the airline on social media, alleging "negligence" that has left the athletes stranded and "directly affecting their participation and performance." The academy's post questioned, "Who will take responsibility for this?"
Akasa Air released a statement expressing regret for the inconvenience and confirmed that the shooters were "unable to board because of extended security procedures involving their baggage that contained specialised shooting equipment." The airline stated it was providing "necessary assistance, and alternative travel arrangements are being organised" to help the shooters reach their competition.
