A Dubai-bound SpiceJet flight from Madurai was diverted to Chennai on Monday after a mid-air technical snag.
Flight SG23, carrying 160 passengers and seven crew members, landed safely at Chennai airport.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said, “On October 27, 2025, SpiceJet flight SG 23 operating from Madurai to Dubai was diverted to Chennai due to a technical issue. The aircraft made a normal landing and not an emergency landing. Passengers were deplaned normally.”
A full emergency was declared at Mumbai airport last month after a SpiceJet Q400 aircraft lost an outer wheel shortly after takeoff from Kandla. The flight was en route to Mumbai when the wheel reportedly came off mid-air.
Last Thursday, a Patna-bound SpiceJet aircraft was forced to return to Delhi after the crew reported a technical issue shortly after takeoff. All passengers and crew were reported safe.
In September, a Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight from Pune made a mid-air turnback to the originating airport due to a technical glitch and landed under full emergency conditions.
SpiceJet is grappling with financial stress, with more than half of its fleet grounded, limiting operations and hampering competition with rivals. The airline’s domestic market share has plunged to an all-time low of 1.9%, according to an Economic Times report.
Of its 54 aircraft, only 21 are currently operational. As of June-end, SpiceJet had just ₹333 crore in free cash, much of which has already been drained on statutory obligations such as GST, tax deducted at source (TDS) and employee provident fund contributions.
The twin pressures of a shrinking fleet and tight liquidity are squeezing the airline’s operational flexibility, the report said.
To boost capacity for the winter season, SpiceJet plans to induct 10 Boeing 737 aircraft on short-term leases. Talks were also ongoing for additional narrowbody and widebody aircraft inductions in October and November 2025, the report said.
