More than 200 passengers travelling from Pune to Patna were stranded at Pune airport on Thursday night after a SpiceJet flight was delayed for several hours before being cancelled, leaving families heading to their hometown for Chhath Puja distressed and scrambling for alternative travel arrangements.
Passengers alleged that they were made to wait for nearly 10 to 12 hours, with the airline repeatedly assuring them that the flight would depart shortly but failing to provide clear updates, refreshments or adequate assistance. Angry passengers staged a protest near the airport’s entry gate, demanding accountability and alternative travel arrangements.
According to passengers, the flight was scheduled to depart at 8.20 pm. Harshvardhan Mishra, one of the stranded passengers, said they received a message around 8.30 pm informing them that the departure had been rescheduled to 11.25 pm.
“We accepted the delay, but the situation kept getting worse,” he said.
Mishra said the aircraft arrived around 10.30 pm, raising hopes of an early departure. However, passengers were subsequently informed that the flight had been delayed until 12.45 am. “After that, we were repeatedly told that the flight would leave in 10 or 15 minutes. Even the cabin crew had boarded and preparations appeared complete. However, by 2 am, there was still no clarity,” he said.
He alleged that passengers eventually checked the flight status online and discovered that the flight had been cancelled, without any formal communication from the airline.
{{/usCountry}}He alleged that passengers eventually checked the flight status online and discovered that the flight had been cancelled, without any formal communication from the airline.
{{/usCountry}}The cancellation caused distress to families travelling to Bihar for Chhath Puja, one of the state’s biggest festivals, with some women having already begun observing their fast.
Mishra said the uncertainty continued until around 4.30 am or 5 am, forcing some passengers to make their own travel arrangements at considerably higher fares.
Himanshu Singh, another passenger, said, “After more than seven hours, SpiceJet staff refused refreshments, said seating was the airport’s problem, and claimed no duty manager was available. Even the airport’s helpline offered no assistance.”
Passengers complained of inadequate seating near the boarding gates, alleging that elderly people and families with children were forced to stand for hours and repeatedly move between gates. Mishra said the airport authority personnel later arranged vada pav for the stranded passengers, but the quantity was insufficient for the crowd.
S Gupta, another passenger, said more than 200 people had waited for nearly 12 hours after completing check-in and receiving their boarding passes before being informed of the cancellation.
Passengers alleged that they were told refunds could take around seven days.
Meanwhile, despite repeated attempts to contact SpiceJet for its comments to the allegations and the cancellation, the airline did not respond till the filing of this report.