Passengers aboard SpiceJet flight SG 486 from Delhi to Darbhanga faced an uncomfortable and potentially hazardous situation as they were left without air conditioning for over an hour during a sweltering heatwave. Passengers reported feeling unwell due to the oppressive heat and lack of ventilation.
Passengers aboard SpiceJet from Delhi to Darbhanga were forced to wait inside the aircraft without air conditioning for almost an hour on Wednesday due to the extreme heat in the nation's capital, in yet another instance of aviation indifference. SpiceJet Flight SG 476 was the scene of the incident.
The passengers said 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.
Absolutely horrible.. passengers facing severe heat due to no air-conditioning in Delhi Darbhanga SpiceJet flight.... In Modi Raj not even airplanes are giving the feel of an airplane.... What a Vikas...!!! pic.twitter.com/tEINkkzGvh
— Nattasha Sharrma नत्ताशा शर्मा🇮🇳 (@natasshasharrma)"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 for an hour. The temperature inside (flight) was 40 degrees. The passengers were suffering. The AC was switched on when the flight took off," recounted passenger Rohan Kumar.
An official statement from the airline was awaited.
This occurred the day after an IndiGo flight was involved in a comparable incident. A technical problem brought on by "high ground temperatures" led an IndiGo aircraft from Delhi to Bagdogra to be delayed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport for over three hours. Visuals from inside the aircraft showed passengers alleging that the air conditioning was not functional while the aircraft was parked on the tarmac.
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.
Earlier in June, the SpiceJet passengers on the flight bound for Srinagar had to undergo a similar experience.