SpiceJet Passengers Made to Wait Inside Aircraft 'Without AC For An Hour' Amid Severe Heatwave in Delhi | Video

In yet another incident of aviation apathy, SpiceJet passengers travelling from Delhi to Darbhanga had to wait inside the aircraft “without air conditioning for about an hour” amid the intense heatwave in the national capital on Wednesday. The incident took place on the SpiceJet Flight SG 476.

The passengers claimed they had to suffer for over an hour and certain passengers complained that they were feeling unwell. A video of the incident shows passengers on board sweating profusely and trying to make fans out of books and magazines.

The passengers claimed that the air conditioning was switched on only when the flight took off. “I was travelling from Delhi to Darbhanga (SG 486) from SpiceJet. At the Delhi airport after the check-in, they did not switch on the air-conditioning (AC) for an hour. The temperature inside (flight) was 40 degrees Celsius. The passengers were suffering. The air-conditioner (AC) was switched on when the flight took off,” said Rohan Kumar, one of the passengers.

In an official statement, a SpiceJet spokesperson said that the flight was on schedule and that the air conditioning was working fine, but was “inefficient” at the time of boarding.

“SpiceJet flight SG 476 from Delhi to Darbhanga on June 19, scheduled to depart at 11 am, departed on time without any delays. The air conditioning was working normally throughout the flight, which was verified and cross-checked upon arrival in Darbhanga. The same aircraft operated the return flight to Delhi, and there were no issues with the air conditioning on the return flight either,” the airline said.

“During boarding in Delhi, the air conditioning initially experienced slight inefficiency due to extreme weather conditions and both doors of the aircraft being open, as boarding was not via the aerobridge. The doors were promptly closed after boarding completion, and the cooling functioned normally thereafter,” the SpiceJet spokesperson added.

This came a day after a similar incident was reported on an IndiGo flight. An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bagdogra was delayed for more than three hours at the Indira Gandhi International Airport due to a technical issue caused by “high ground temperatures.” Visuals from inside the aircraft showed passengers alleging that the air conditioning was not functional while the aircraft was parked on the tarmac.

“IndiGo flight 6E 2521 between Delhi and Bagdogra was delayed due to high ground temperatures impeding operations,” the airline had said in a statement.

“IndiGo prioritises passenger safety above all else and is taking steps to enable a prompt departure. Passengers are being provided with regular updates and we regret the inconvenience caused due to factors beyond the airline’s control,” the statement added.

The IndiGo flight, originally scheduled for 2:10 pm, finally departed around 6:15 pm, as shown on the online flight tracking platform FlightRadar24. Bagdogra airport is situated near Siliguri in West Bengal.