Mumbai: Passengers of an Ahmedabad-bound SpiceJet flight were stranded at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) for over five hours on Monday after an operational issue delayed the flight, with several flyers alleging poor communication from the airline staff.
Flight SG 880, scheduled to depart Mumbai at 4.35 pm, eventually took off at 9.43 pm and landed in Ahmedabad at 10.32 pm, according to Flightradar24. The same flight had faced an even longer delay on Sunday, departing Mumbai only at 11.24 pm and reaching Ahmedabad at 12.13 am on Monday, according to flight-tracking data.
Vishnu Deo Mahto, 34, an engineer travelling to Ahmedabad for work, said the flight was repeatedly delayed despite repeated assurances from airline staff that it would depart shortly.
“Every time we were told it would take another half an hour, but it never happened,” Mahto told Hindustan Times. “I have to go to work in Ahmedabad tomorrow morning at 8 am. I have had no food, and meals are not included in my package, so I will have to stay hungry. I also have a fractured hand. How will a person just sit like this in such a situation?”
A woman passenger, who did not wish to be named, said, “I was rushing for a family emergency, hoping to reach in time, but now I feel taking a taxi would have been better.”
Another passenger, Premalkiran Gandhi, said flyers had been waiting for hours and that boarding was allowed only after they argued with SpiceJet ground staff. According to him, the boarding gate finally opened at 8.30 pm.
A SpiceJet spokesperson attributed the delay to an operational issue, saying the disruption originated with an earlier flight and carried through the day’s schedule.
The spokesperson also said the airline had informed passengers about the delay through emails and phone calls at 6 am on Monday, but acknowledged that some travellers may not have received the communication.
“Bookings made through aggregators, third-party platforms and group booking PNRs often carry intermediary contact details instead of those of individual passengers, due to which information doesn’t reach the passenger,” the spokesperson said.
