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Dense fog delays flights in Delhi, SpiceJet flyer slams 2-hour wait: ‘I have an infant in my lap’
A SpiceJet passenger has slammed the airline’s sheer mismanagement in making passengers wait for 2 hours inside the aircraft due to dense fog at Delhi airport
A SpiceJet passenger has slammed the airline’s “sheer mismanagement” in making passengers wait for two hours inside the aircraft due to dense fog at Delhi airport. Pratyush Rawat said that the SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Kolkata, scheduled to take off early on Friday morning, was delayed due to fog. However, he slammed the airline for making passengers board the aircraft despite knowing that the flight would not be allowed to take off.
In an X post shared around 8 am on Friday, Rawat claimed that he and other passengers had been waiting inside the aircraft since 6 am. He questioned why the airline had asked passengers to board when the delay was foreseeable.
Fog delays flights in Delhi
Delhi NCR woke up to a thick layer of fog on Friday morning, reducing visibility to zero. The minimum temperature in the national capital is expected to be 6 degrees Celsius today.
The SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Kolkata was among the dozens that faced delays due to fog. According to news agency PTI, more than 100 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Friday morning as low visibility conditions due to dense fog impacted operations.
In his X post, Pratyush Rawat slammed the airline for its poor planning.
“Boarded SG263 Delhi-Kolkata at 6 am, but still grounded after 2 hrs due to dense fog. There are infants & elderly onboard—this delay was foreseeable and is sheer poor planning. Airlines should ensure ATC clearance before boarding,” the passenger said.
In follow-up posts, Rawat said that he had been waiting inside the aircraft for more than two hours with an infant in his lap. What should have been a two hour flight to Kolkata would now turn into a six hour ordeal, he said.
“Why board SG263 knowing dense fog delays were foreseeable? I have an infant in my lap, and this 2-hr flight has turned into a 6-hr ordeal,” the SpiceJet passenger said, adding: “Waiting in the lounge would’ve been much more manageable. This is poor planning and sheer mismanagement.”
SpiceJet responded to his post saying they regretted the inconvenience. “Hi Pratyush, please send us a DM so we may look into it. We regret any inconvenience caused,” the airline said.
At 8.40 am, when the flight had still not taken off, the passenger shared a picture of his boarding pass to complain about the delay again.
“Dear DGCA, foreseeable delays have to be handled in a better way . Even the blind man can see the fog and can anticipate there will be a delay then why to make it worse for airline crew and passengers. Request come up with a policy,” he said.
The Delhi Airport issued an advisory for the passengers stating that there has been an impact on flight departures. It further advised the passengers to contact their respective airlines for updated flight information.
