SpiceJet cancels Delhi-Pune flight after passengers wait 6 hours

SpiceJet cancelled its Delhi-Pune flight SG 939 after passengers were made to wait more than six hours, leaving over 180 travellers stranded overnight at Delhi airport.

The flight was originally due to depart at 9:15 p.m. on July 27, but the delay stretched on until passengers were finally informed of the cancellation around 3:30 a.m.

According to SpiceJet, the aircraft developed a technical issue that caused the delay and eventually led to the flight being called off.

Passengers said they received minimal updates from the airline in the hours before the cancellation was announced.

Several travellers also complained about the lack of food and water arrangements during the extended delay at the terminal.

The incident led to an angry confrontation between passengers and airline staff as tempers flared over the handling of the situation.

SpiceJet said it had arranged a replacement flight for the affected passengers, while travellers called on the DGCA to investigate the airline’s response.

Under the rules set out by the DGCA, airlines are obligated to provide free meals and refreshments once a delay passes a defined threshold, and to give passengers truthful, timely information about the cause of the disruption.

Passengers have increasingly taken to social media to report flight delays and cancellations, often tagging the DGCA and the civil aviation ministry directly to seek faster redressal.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is India’s busiest airport, handling a high volume of daily domestic and international departures, which can compound the impact of any single flight’s delay or cancellation.

The DGCA has previously issued show-cause notices to Indian carriers over service lapses, including inadequate passenger communication and failure to provide mandated facilities during long delays.

SpiceJet is one of India’s major low-cost carriers, operating both domestic and select international routes out of hubs including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

(Image: Photo by Kprateek88, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0/2.5/2.0/1.0)