Tension mounted among travellers at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 morning as a SpiceJet flight destined for Tirupati experienced a delay of more than two hours. The airline’s representatives attributed the delay to a technical glitch in the aircraft.
SpiceJet’s SG 2696 flight, originally scheduled to depart from Hyderabad at 6.00 a.m., finally took off at 8.20 a.m. and touched down at Tirupati Airport at 9.24 am, significantly behind its intended arrival time of 7.20 a.m.
Mahesh Kumar Keethi, a passenger on the flight, speaking to The Hindu said that the boarding process had commenced on time, and it was only upon reaching the aircraft that they were informed about the technical issue. After a considerable wait, buses were arranged to transport them back to the terminal. The delay proved particularly challenging for many passengers, including children and elderly individuals, who had experienced significant inconvenience due to the early departure from their homes and the subsequent delay. Moreover, several travellers had planned their visit to religious destinations with the intention of reaching their destination early and completing their darshan on time.
The unexpected delay forced numerous individuals who had booked morning darshans at the Tirumala Venkateswara temple to revise their entire schedules. “I had planned to walk from Tirupati to Tirumala on foot, which is no longer feasible,” added Mr. Mahesh.
Meanwhile, a representative from SpiceJet informed The Hindu that the delay was due to a technical issue. As soon as the problem was identified, the Chief Security Officer was notified, and all passengers were escorted back to the terminal. The airline ensured that the travelers were provided with breakfast, refreshments, and medications to those in need, to minimize any inconvenience caused.
