SpiceJet fliers walk on Delhi airport's tarmac, DGCA orders probe
What's the story
Another incident involving low-cost airline SpiceJet was reported late Saturday night, following recent reports of technical problems with several airline planes.
Passengers on the Hyderabad-Delhi flight operated by SpiceJet were allegedly left unattended for forty-five minutes on the Indira Gandhi International airport's tarmac.
As per reports, the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is investigating the incident.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Due to DGCA orders, SpiceJet is currently only authorized to fly less than 50% of its flights.
At least eight mechanical issues were reported on SpiceJet aircraft between June 19 and July 5, prompting the aviation authorities to impose an eight-week flying restriction last month.
According to a May LocalCircles' study, SpiceJet topped the list of airlines whose services were deemed the worst post-COVID-19.
Statement
Official statement over the development
The airline explained that there was a slight delay in the arrival of coaches, but that once they arrived, all passengers were transported from the airport runway to the terminal building.
"Despite repeated requests from our staff, a few passengers started walking towards the terminal. They had barely walked a few meters when the coaches arrived," the airline reportedly stated.
Quote
'Passengers aren't allowed to walk on the Delhi airport's tarmac'
"Passengers aren't allowed to walk on the Delhi airport's tarmac area...it's a security risk. There's a demarcated path on the tarmac for vehicles only," the airline's statement read.
"Therefore, the airlines use buses to take passengers from terminal to aircraft or vice-versa," it further stated.
Notably, after 11 minutes of walking on the tarmac, the passengers were shuttled to the terminal at 12:20 am.
Fact
SpiceJet denies the incident, terms it 'brief delay'
"The information that passengers of SpiceJet flight Hyderabad-Delhi on August 6 were forced to walk towards the terminal on foot is wrong and is denied," Spicejet reportedly stated.
"There was a brief delay in the arrival of coaches to ferry the passengers from the tarmac to the terminal building," it added.
According to reports, the flight with 186 passengers landed at 11:24 pm.
Information
Passengers waited for around 45 minutes: Sources
According to sources, some passengers were quickly transported to Delhi airport's Terminal 3 by bus. The remaining passengers, however, waited for about 45 minutes, and when no bus arrived, they reportedly began walking towards the terminal, which was about 1.5 kilometers away.