Mumbai: Angry SpiceJet passengers take on airlines over flight delay

Agitated passengers at the airport

On Sunday morning, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport turned into a battlefield, quite literally. Passengers whose Mumbai-Varanasi flight was delayed for more than three hours took on SpiceJet airlines. The agitated flyers formed a human chain to stall passengers of the subsequent flight to Kochi scheduled at 9.30 am. As a result of this, even Mumbai- Kochi flight was delayed by an hour. While police had to intervene to settle the chaos, SpiceJet officials later informed passengers that the delay was over safety concerns pertaining to heavy fog conditions.

Passengers of SpiceJet's flight from Mumbai To Varanasi, which was scheduled at 7.10 am, were waiting at the airport as their flight was rescheduled at 9.10am. However, soon after the passengers were informed on email that their flight was further delayed, and rescheduled at 10.30 am, they got angry. And, when they saw beginning of the boarding process for the subsequent flight Mumbai-Kochi, the situation began chaotic. The passengers of the earlier flight started arguing at the boarding counter. One of the passengers from Mumbai-Kochi flight, said, "Some of them also made human chain to stall Mumbai-Kochi flight passenger from boarding. The chaos reached to a level where two groups were formed one shouting Varanasi and another Kochi."

"The situation turned so chaotic because there was no announcement by the airline to explain the delay. Eventually, the police intervened and tried to control the situation," said another passengers of Mumbai-Kochi flight which finally took off at 10.30am, an hour late from the scheduled time.

A harried passenger said, "The situation got completely out of control, and that the airline had to step in with their explanation. It was then told to them that the weather conditions in the north were not favourable to fly owing to fog."