The Pune-New Delhi flight, which had 186 passengers, was supposed to leave at 7.30 am, finally departed at 4.30 pm. The aircraft's windscreen had to be repaired, leading to the 9-hour delay
ADVERTISEMENT
Pune: SpiceJet has been trying its best to revive its lost glory, but things seem to be not working in its favour. Early on Wednesday morning, 186 passengers of a Pune-New Delhi flight had a harrowing experience, when they had to wait for nine hours to leave for their destination. Reason: The aircraft's windscreen had to be repaired. According to sources, flight SG999, which was supposed to leave Pune airport at 7.30 am, finally took off at 4.30 pm.
SpiceJet passengers were unhappy that the ground staff was unable to help
No clue
Speaking to mid-day, Shekhar Khakurdekar, who runs a software company said, "I reached the airport at 6 am. But when we were about to board the flight at 7 am, the ground staff told us that the aircraft had not arrived at the airport and that it would take off at around 8:20 am. Later, at 9.30 am we were told that the flight would be further delayed as certain tests were being carried out at the air force station. After we fought with the airline authorities, they provided us with water and some snacks. Finally at 12.30 pm they told us about the repair work of the windscreen."
He further said, "SpiceJet's team in Pune was completely clueless about what was happening. I had a business meeting in Delhi and another at the PMO office. All of it had to be postponed. I was supposed to return today itself, but that will not be possible. Hence I have asked the airline authorities to either compensate me for the return ticket or get an alternative one."
Sharing his experience, software engineer Sachin Gurav said, "Facilities provided by SpiceJet are extremely poor. We were waiting at the airport from 6 am and finally the flight took off at 4.30 pm. I feel it was better to take a train from Mumbai to Delhi."
Safety first
Commenting on the issue, a SpiceJet spokesperson said, "A small crack was noticed on the windshield just before departure. As a standard measure we decided to replace the glass. The men and material required to change the screen was moved from Delhi but as the Pune runway was closed from 8 am to 10:30 am, the flight carrying the spare parts could land only at 11 am. Finally, after the work was complete, the flight took off at 4.30 pm. Passengers' safety is of utmost importance for SpiceJet and we will never compromise with it."
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
