A fight broke out at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport between passengers and airport staff over an eight-hour delay of a SpiceJet flight. According to sources at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the flight was delayed due to a ‘Network Issue.’
According to an airport source, the main runway at Ahmedabad airport was closed for maintenance between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Pilots were issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) in this regard.
SpiceJet flight SG0354, which was scheduled to depart at 10.30 a.m., was rescheduled to after 3 p.m. due to a NOTAM. However, due to a network issue (airport congestion), it was delayed further, and it finally took off for Varanasi around 7 p.m., he added.
The passengers were irritated with the SpiceJet staff because they were not receiving a clear response regarding the flight’s delay. Later, security personnel and senior airport officials were summoned, and the situation was stabilised. The flight took all passengers out of the airport. Speaking to News agency ANI, a senior DGCA official stated that they were aware of the situation and that in such cases, passengers must be compensated if they request it because the rule requires it.