New Delhi: Around 200 SpiceJet passengers protested at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi after two flights to Dubai were repeatedly rescheduled, with one flight delayed for more than 24 hours.
The affected flights were SG 5111 and SG 5105. Both were scheduled to operate from Delhi to Dubai on Monday, September 14, but their departures were repeatedly changed, leaving passengers waiting at Terminal 3.
The protest began late on Monday evening at different locations inside the terminal. Airport officials also took up the matter with SpiceJet executives as passengers sought information about their flights.
SG 5111 was scheduled to leave Delhi on Monday morning. Its departure was later moved to Monday evening and then to Tuesday morning. The flight had still not departed by Tuesday and had been delayed for more than 24 hours, according to reports.
The second flight, SG 5105, was scheduled to leave Delhi on Monday evening but was later pushed to noon on Tuesday.
Passengers protested over the repeated changes and the uncertainty surrounding their travel plans. Reports said some passengers had been waiting for long periods while seeking information about when they would be able to leave for Dubai.
SpiceJet said the disruption was caused by operational reasons following the grounding of an aircraft. The airline said alternative flights were being arranged for affected passengers and expressed regret over the inconvenience.
SpiceJet has not publicly provided further details about the aircraft grounding or its specific cause.
The incident comes as SpiceJet faces wider financial and operational challenges. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said last week that the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation were closely monitoring the airline's financial and operational situation.
Official aviation data showed that SpiceJet's on time performance was 38.5 percent on September 11. This was considerably lower than the performance recorded by several other major Indian airlines on the same day.
Official figures also showed that SpiceJet's domestic market share fell to 1.6 percent in July from 1.9 percent in June.
Recent reporting put SpiceJet's operational fleet at 11 aircraft. The airline is seeking to increase its capacity as it works to rebuild its fleet.
On September 3, SpiceJet announced agreements to bring 20 aircraft into its operations. The planned additions include 15 Boeing aircraft and five Airbus aircraft. The airline said the aircraft would be inducted in phases between mid October and mid November.
SpiceJet has been facing financial and operational challenges in recent months, while also working to increase its fleet and restore capacity. The airline has attributed the latest Delhi Dubai disruption specifically to operational reasons following the grounding of an aircraft.
For the passengers affected in Delhi, the immediate issue remains completing their journey to Dubai after the prolonged disruption. SpiceJet said alternative flights were being arranged, but the airline had not publicly provided full details of the final arrangements for every affected passenger.
The disruption comes as SpiceJet works to rebuild its operational fleet and increase capacity ahead of the winter travel period.