Darbhanga: Passengers and their family members protested at Darbhanga Airport on Friday after a SpiceJet flight from Delhi was suddenly cancelled, leaving travellers stranded and frustrated.
The disruption involved SpiceJet flight SG-495, which was scheduled to arrive at Darbhanga Airport from Delhi at 3:20 pm. The flight was already running more than an hour late when passengers were informed that the service had been cancelled.
The aircraft was scheduled to operate the return flight from Darbhanga to Delhi at 5:20 pm.
Following the cancellation announcement, passengers gathered at the airport and demanded that the flight be operated. The situation reportedly became tense, prompting airline officials and airport authorities to intervene. The passengers were later assured that their tickets would be rescheduled for Saturday, following which they returned home.
According to sources, the aircraft carrying passengers had already departed Delhi for Darbhanga when it was stopped at Delhi Airport and the flight was subsequently cancelled. Passengers on board also protested and demanded that the flight be restored. Airline representatives had to make efforts to pacify them.
A SpiceJet official said the flight was already delayed and that Darbhanga Airport currently does not have permission for night operations. Since the permitted operating window was about to expire, the flight had to be cancelled.
The official said the aircraft would operate to Darbhanga on Saturday with the affected passengers. The airline is also providing the necessary assistance and facilities to passengers, the official said.
Four flights arrived ahead of schedule
Meanwhile, eight flights operated between Darbhanga and Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru on Friday.
Four of the arriving flights reached Darbhanga ahead of their scheduled times.
Akasa Air’s QP-1405 from Delhi arrived at 10:30 am, 25 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time of 10:55 am.
Akasa Air’s QP-1513 from Bengaluru arrived at 11:50 am, 20 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time of 12:10 pm.
IndiGo’s 6E-535 from Mumbai arrived at 12:45 pm, 10 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time of 12:55 pm.
IndiGo’s 6E-360 from Delhi arrived at 2:40 pm, 20 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time of 3 pm.
The cancellation of SG-495, despite several other flights operating on schedule or arriving early, caused considerable inconvenience to passengers travelling between Delhi and Darbhanga.
