After talking tough, government reached out to the agitating employees assuring them that the old airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore would be used for general aviation and they have 'nothing to worry about their future.'

"The (existing) airports are not being closed down. They will be used for general aviation (apart from defence purposes and national emergencies)," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.

"Keeping in mind the interests of all sections, we will try to find a way out of the legal problems in the future, speak to the operators (of the greenfield airports), he said.

Used coffee and tea cups, empty water bottles and waste paper could be seen littered at the Delhi airport and passengers complained of dirty toilets. Image: Indian air passengers wait on benches at the domestic terminal of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport in Kolkata during the second day of a nationwide call to cease work by airlines workers. Water taps began running dry in some airports, litter was visible and baggage trolleys were scarce, but airport officials said flights were still operating on schedule.