SpiceJet passengers allege flight made them wait for an hour without AC amid extreme heat

SpiceJet passengers on Delhi-Darbhanga flight complain of hour-long wait without AC, airline denies delay.

Passengers of a SpiceJet flight SG 476 from Delhi to Darbhanga on June 19 alleged that they were made to wait for one hour without air conditioning (AC) after their check-in at the Delhi airport.

One of the passengers said they did not switch on the AC for an hour after the check-in. “The temperature inside (flight) was 40 degrees. The passengers were suffering,” a passenger said.

A SpiceJet spokesperson, however, said the flight departed on time at 11 a.m., without any delays. “The AC was working normally throughout the flight, which was verified and cross-checked upon arrival in Darbhanga,” the spokesperson said.

“During boarding in Delhi, the AC initially experienced slight inefficiency due to extreme weather conditions and both doors of the aircraft being open, as boarding was not via the aerobridge. The doors were promptly closed after boarding completion, and the cooling functioned normally thereafter,” the spokesperson added.

Residents in Delhi have been gripped by extreme temperatures in the last weeks. The national capital on June 18 recorded a minimum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius, six notches above the season’s average, while the maximum temperature settled at 44 degrees Celsius, which was five degrees higher than the normal temperature for the season.