Delays to Two Dubai-Bound SpiceJet Flights Spark Protest by Nearly 200 Passengers.
New Delhi: Nearly 200 passengers staged a protest at Delhi airport after two Dubai-bound SpiceJet flights were delayed by more than 24 hours, leaving travellers stranded at the terminal with little clarity over when their flights would depart.
The disruption involved SpiceJet flights SG 5111 and SG 5105, both scheduled to fly from Delhi to Dubai.
Flight SG 5111 was originally scheduled to leave Delhi at 7.45am on Monday but faced repeated delays. Its departure was initially pushed to Monday evening before being rescheduled for 9am on Tuesday. However, the flight had yet to take off at the time of reporting.
Flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 showed flight SG 5111 as cancelled.
Meanwhile, SG 5105 was originally scheduled to depart Delhi at 6.45pm on Monday. Its departure was later pushed back to 12.30pm on Tuesday, but the aircraft had still not taken off at the time of reporting.
Passengers Protest at Terminal 3
Passenger protests reportedly began late on Monday evening at Terminal 3 of Delhi airport and continued into Tuesday, as frustrated travellers sought clear information on when their Dubai-bound flights would depart.
Passengers said they received few updates about the delays and were left uncertain about revised departure times, as well as arrangements for meals and accommodation.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show stranded passengers sitting on the terminal floor as they waited for further information about their flights.
According to media reports, SpiceJet representatives were unavailable to respond to passenger concerns for an extended period. Delhi airport staff later stepped in to provide affected travellers with food and water and arranged a designated area where they could rest.
SpiceJet Cites Grounded Aircraft
SpiceJet attributed the disruption to operational issues caused by an aircraft being grounded and said alternative arrangements were being made for affected passengers.
An airline spokesperson said flights SG 5111 and SG 5105 from Delhi to Dubai were delayed following the grounding of an aircraft. SpiceJet added that it was arranging alternative flights for stranded travellers and working to minimise the inconvenience caused by the disruption.
According to media reports, Delhi airport officials have also raised the issue with SpiceJet executives as efforts continue to resolve the situation.
