Inside view of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. file photo
Tension prevailed among passengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on the morning of Tuesday, July 11, 2023 as a SpiceJet flight to Tirupati was delayed by over two hours. Airline representatives attributed the delay to a technical fault with the aircraft.
SpiceJet flight SG 2696, which was originally scheduled to depart Hyderabad at 6.00 am, finally took off at 8.20 am and landed at Tirupati airport at 9.24 am, much behind its scheduled time of 7.20 am.
Talking to Mahesh Kumar Keethi, a passenger on the flight Hindu He said the boarding process started on time and he was informed about the technical problem only when the aircraft reached. After a long wait, buses were arranged to take them back to the terminal. The delay proved particularly challenging for many commuters, including children and the elderly, who had to face considerable inconvenience due to the early departure from their homes and the subsequent delay. Besides this, many passengers had planned to visit religious places with the intention of reaching their destinations early and completing the darshan on time.
Due to the unexpected delay, many people who had booked for morning darshan at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple were forced to revise their entire schedule. Mr. Mahesh said, “I had planned to walk from Tirupati to Tirumala, which is not possible now.”
Meanwhile, a representative of SpiceJet informed Hindu that the delay was due to a technical problem. As soon as the problem was discovered, the Chief Security Officer was informed, and all passengers were taken back to the terminal. The airline ensured that breakfast, refreshments and medicines were provided to those in need to minimize any inconvenience to the passengers.