SpiceJet flight cancellations at Mumbai airport create chaos

Visuals from the spot showed passengers waiting in long queues with their luggage, trying to get answers from the airline staff.

On Wednesday, chaos ensued at the Mumbai airport when two SpiceJet flights got cancelled. The airline said two flights from Mumbai to Ahmedabad were delayed due to weather conditions at previous stations. The flight cancellations had left hundreds of passengers stranded, who were looking for answers on what to do.

Three SpiceJet flights from Mumbai to Delhi, Gorakhpur, and Bengaluru were cancelled.

As per the airline, three SpiceJet flights from Mumbai to Delhi, Gorakhpur, and Bengaluru were cancelled due to “operational reasons.” The airline said the reasons included the grounding of an aircraft and adverse weather conditions at the previous station, Bagdogra. A SpiceJet spokesperson said, “Three SpiceJet departures from Mumbai, SG 631 (Mumbai-Delhi), SG 553 (Mumbai-Gorakhpur) and SG 669 (Mumbai-Bengaluru), were cancelled on April 29 due to operational reasons, including the grounding of an aircraft and adverse weather at the previous station (Bagdogra) of the operating aircraft, which led to FDTL limitations for the crew.”

Two flights were delayed owing to weather conditions at previous stations.

The airline added that two flights from Mumbai to Ahmedabad were delayed due to weather conditions at previous stations. “Additionally, two Mumbai-Ahmedabad flights were delayed due to adverse weather at the previous stations – Varanasi and Bagdogra – of the operating aircraft and have since departed with a delay,” the spokesperson said. To make up for the cancelled flights, the airline said it is operating additional flights on Thursday, April 30, to accommodate affected passengers. It said, “We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and appreciate their understanding.” In one of the videos, passengers were seen confronting the queue about what was causing the delay.

One of the passengers was heard saying in the video, “The pilots are complaining that you guys have run away from the aircraft. People are asking for water, no one is answering.” Another passenger said that they have “never heard of an instance where a pilot is telling passengers he has no clue where the ground staff is and that they have ‘disappeared’.”