Passengers Face ‘Suffocating’ Ordeal as SpiceJet Flight AC Fails at Delhi Airport

New Delhi: A routine journey from the national capital to Gorakhpur turned into a distressing experience for SpiceJet passengers on Sunday, as a technical failure left them sweltering inside a grounded aircraft for nearly two hours.

Flight SG2471 was originally scheduled to depart Delhi at 4:30 pm. However, passengers were left trapped inside the cabin as the flight remained stationary on the tarmac until approximately 5:50 pm. According to those on board, the aircraft’s air-conditioning system malfunctioned shortly after boarding, turning the interior into a hot, humid, and claustrophobic environment.

“Suffocating Atmosphere” Inside Cabin

Virendra Upadhyay, a passenger on the flight, described a scene of rising panic as the temperatures climbed. He noted that the flight was carrying vulnerable passengers, including young children and senior citizens, who bore the brunt of the extreme conditions.

“The air conditioning was not functioning, and they made us sit inside the aircraft while the heat built up,” Upadhyay stated. “Children started crying and screaming, and the atmosphere became suffocating. Anxiety levels among the passengers spiked as time passed without any effective solution.”

Visual documentation provided by passengers showed travellers frantically using books and magazines as makeshift fans in a desperate attempt to gain relief from the stifling heat. The situation eventually reached a breaking point, with some passengers demanding that the aircraft doors be opened. A minor commotion broke out as travellers sought to exit the plane, prompting intervention from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel to manage the crowd and assist in returning passengers to their seats.

Technical Glitch or Weather Conditions?

The pilot eventually addressed the cabin, informing passengers that engineers were working to rectify a technical failure within the cooling system. While the plane finally took off at 5:50 pm, Upadhyay alleged that the relief provided by the AC system was not instantaneous, stating that it only began functioning properly about 30 minutes into the flight.

In response to the incident, SpiceJet issued a formal statement maintaining that the flight’s delay was due to “operational issues.” Contradicting the accounts of multiple passengers, the airline spokesperson insisted that the air conditioning remained operational throughout the duration of the wait.

“Due to the prevailing weather conditions in Delhi, some passengers may have experienced discomfort,” the spokesperson added, attributing the distress to the external environment rather than a mechanical failure.

The incident has once again turned the spotlight on airline passenger service standards in India, particularly regarding ground delays and climate control maintenance during the sweltering summer months. For those aboard flight SG2471, the journey concluded with relief, but not before they were subjected to a harrowing ordeal that has left many questioning the airline’s ground-handling protocols.

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