SpiceJet flight SG 939 to Pune was cancelled after a delay of more than six hours at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, stranding over 180 passengers overnight.
The flight was scheduled to depart at 9:15 p.m. on July 27, but passengers were kept waiting until around 3:30 a.m. before the cancellation was confirmed.
SpiceJet said the aircraft had developed a technical issue, which led first to the delay and then to the flight being cancelled outright.
Passengers said they were left without clear updates for much of the wait, particularly during the final ninety minutes before the cancellation.
Several travellers also said no adequate food or water was provided by the airline through the hours-long delay.
Frustration boiled over into a confrontation between passengers and SpiceJet staff at the terminal as the night wore on.
SpiceJet said it arranged an alternate flight for all affected passengers, while travellers have called for the DGCA to examine the airline’s handling of the incident.
DGCA’s Civil Aviation Requirements mandate that airlines provide free meals and refreshments once a domestic flight delay passes a set threshold, along with accurate, timely communication with affected passengers.
Under the same framework, airlines facing an unplanned overnight delay are required to arrange free hotel accommodation and transport for affected passengers rather than expecting them to make their own arrangements.
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.
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.
(Image: Photo by Kprateek88, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0/2.5/2.0/1.0)
