SpiceJet flight: DGCA probe on after fliers walk on tarmac at Delhi airport

The incident took place after 11.30pm, soon after SpiceJet’s SG 8108 landed at the Delhi airport from Hyderabad. While most passengers waited for the airline to arrange coaches, some passengers, in the absence of a coach, headed towards the terminal through the tarmac.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is looking into a Saturday night incident at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI), where passengers who landed from Hyderabad on a SpiceJet flight walked on the tarmac towards the terminal, in the absence of an aircraft bus. The airline, however, denied the incident and said only “a few passengers” walked briefly towards the terminal, after a brief delay in the arrival of coaches. Delhi airport officials said this has been noted as a possible protocol breach as it can pose a risk to both aircrafts and the passengers.

The flight was carrying 186 passengers and DGCA says they have asked the airline to respond on the matter.

The incident took place after 11.30pm, soon after SpiceJet’s SG 8108 landed at the Delhi airport from Hyderabad. While most passengers waited for the airline to arrange coaches, some passengers, in the absence of a coach, headed towards the terminal through the tarmac. “This is a security breach as no passengers are permitted on the tarmac. Even vehicles have a defined area,” said a Delhi airport official who asked not to be named.

The airline, however, said no passenger was forced to walk towards the terminal, stating there was a brief delay in the coaches but all passengers were taken to the terminal in a coach.

“The information that passengers of SpiceJet flight Hyderabad-Delhi on 6th August were forced to walk towards the terminal on foot is wrong and is denied. There was a brief delay in the arrival of coaches to ferry the passengers from the tarmac to the terminal building. Despite repeated requests from our staff, a few passengers started walking towards the terminal. They had barely walked a few meters when the coaches arrived. All passengers, including those who had started walking, travelled on the coaches to the terminal building,” a SpiceJet Spokesperson said.

The flight was carrying 186 passengers and DGCA says they have asked the airline to respond on the matter. “We are looking into this,” a DGCA official told HT, stating action will be taken accordingly, if required.