Passenger Ordeal Begins
Wednesday night at Mumbai airport transformed into a scene of significant distress for numerous travelers booked on late-night SpiceJet flights. Passengers
bound for destinations like Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Delhi faced an ordeal of protracted delays and outright cancellations, forcing many to endure a sleepless night. One particularly affected red-eye flight to Bengaluru was delayed by a staggering nine hours. Additionally, night flights to Delhi and Bengaluru were initially delayed before being canceled altogether. A daytime flight to Gorakhpur also met the same fate, while a flight to Ahmedabad saw a departure approximately three hours behind schedule. The chaos was palpable, with travelers expressing extreme dissatisfaction and confusion over the airline's operational failures.
Voices of Frustration
The frustration of stranded passengers was amplified by social media posts detailing their harrowing experiences. Shivangi Pathak, booked on a flight scheduled for 1:55 am, expressed her exasperation by 8:50 am, stating, 'What the hell is wrong with SpiceJet flights! Been waiting at Mumbai T1 airport since yesterday midnight and the flight keeps on being delayed!!' Her post included an image of her boarding pass showing a rescheduled departure of 7:45 am, with other passengers visible in the background, waiting near a departure gate. Similar sentiments were echoed by Seemant Nuniwala, who described her experience with flight SG 164 (Mumbai-Delhi) as the 'Worst experience with @flyspicejet.' After hours of delay, the flight was canceled, leaving her with 'zero support at airport, broken refund link.' She reported having to incur an additional Rs 15,000 for a new flight without any response from the airline.
Airline's Explanation
SpiceJet eventually provided a statement to address the widespread disruptions. The airline attributed the cancellations of three Mumbai departures – SG 631 (Mumbai-Delhi), SG 553 (Mumbai-Gorakhpur), and SG 669 (Mumbai-Bengaluru) on April 29 – to 'operational reasons.' These cited reasons included the grounding of an aircraft and adverse weather conditions at the operating aircraft's previous station in Bagdogra, which subsequently led to Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) constraints for the crew. Regarding delays to two Mumbai-Ahmedabad flights, the airline mentioned adverse weather at their previous stations, Varanasi and Bagdogra, noting that these flights had since departed. To mitigate the impact on affected passengers, SpiceJet stated it was operating additional flights on Thursday.
Dismal Performance Metrics
The recent chaos at Mumbai airport is underscored by concerning performance data. According to March figures shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, SpiceJet had the lowest on-time performance (OTP) among Indian carriers, with only 43% of its flights departing on time, defined as a delay of no more than 15 minutes from the scheduled departure. This data, collected from ten major Indian airports, revealed an even more dire situation at Mumbai airport, where SpiceJet's OTP was a mere 29%, meaning roughly one-third of its flights departed as scheduled. The airline’s best OTP was recorded at Hyderabad airport, at 64%. Furthermore, in March, 0.92% of all domestic flights experienced delays exceeding two hours, and SpiceJet accounted for the highest percentage of these extended delays at 8.67%, affecting 32,753 passengers. Despite these issues, the airline claimed to have spent Rs 60.81 lakh on refreshments and alternative arrangements for affected passengers.
Cancellation Trends
Beyond delays, SpiceJet also faces scrutiny for its cancellation rates. The airline recorded the third-highest number of cancellations among carriers, following Indiaone Air and Alliance Air. While Indiaone Air and Alliance Air have negligible market shares of 0% and 0.5% respectively for the January to March period, SpiceJet holds a more significant market share of 3.9%. During this same three-month timeframe, SpiceJet transported 16.87 lakh passengers, highlighting the substantial number of individuals impacted by its operational challenges.
