Passengers arriving at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Saturday morning encountered significant confusion after SpiceJet announced a sudden reduction in its flight schedule due to unforeseen operational challenges. The low-cost carrier confirmed that several flights were either delayed by multiple hours or cancelled outright, with affected routes including services to major metros like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, as well as key business and leisure destinations such as Pune and Guwahati.
The disruption appears to stem from a combination of factors, including technical glitches in a segment of SpiceJet’s fleet and difficulties in crew rostering over the past 24 hours. While the airline has not released an official statement detailing the exact cause, insiders suggest that an issue with essential aircraft maintenance checks triggered a cascading scheduling problem. This forced SpiceJet to ground approximately 15 to 20 percent of its planned sorties for the day, leading to a backlog of around 40 flights at the airport’s terminals.
Travelers reported long queues at SpiceJet’s check-in counters and customer service desks, with many expressing frustration over a lack of timely updates. Some passengers shared images on social media showing hundreds of people waiting on the airport floor, while others described being rerouted onto different airlines at steep last-minute fares. Delhi Airport authorities confirmed they are working closely with SpiceJet to facilitate rebooking and provide basic amenities to stranded travelers, though many noted that the support infrastructure was overwhelmed by the volume of affected individuals.
This incident marks another turbulent chapter for SpiceJet, which has faced repeated financial and operational pressures since its restructuring. The carrier’s on-time performance has been under scrutiny, and this episode is likely to further damage its reputation in a highly competitive domestic market dominated by rivals like IndiGo and Air India. Industry analysts warn that such disruptions can erode customer trust and lead to increased complaints filed with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). As of late afternoon, SpiceJet stated it is aiming to resume normal operations by Sunday evening, but urged passengers to monitor flight status before traveling to the airport.
