Grounded and stranded: Chaos at Mumbai airport as SpiceJet cancels 3 flights

The airline said it is operating additional flights to accommodate affected passengers and expressed regret for the inconvenience.

Sources said the disruption had a cascading effect. Delays and diversions earlier in the day pushed schedules off track. As a result, aircraft and crew could not be repositioned in time, forcing cancellations.

These decisions came after prolonged delays, worsening the situation for passengers already waiting at the terminal.

Apart from the cancellations, two SpiceJet flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad were also delayed. These delays were linked to weather-related disruptions at earlier stops, including Varanasi and Bagdogra, which delayed the flights’ departures.

Lack of clarity, assistance after delays

Anil Kushwaha, who was travelling with a group of 15, said they were originally scheduled to depart Dubai at 11 pm, but the flight only left around 4 am. “By the time we landed in Mumbai at about 9.30 am, our connecting flight had already left. Since then, we’ve been waiting with no proper information, food, or assistance. We were simply asked to wait,” he said.

“We are labourers working in Dubai, some are travelling for weddings, some for family emergencies, but we are being treated unfairly, without even basic food or accommodation,” he added.

Rasik Ahmed, travelling on the Dubai–Mumbai–Srinagar route, said the delay resulted in a missed connection and further uncertainty. “Now, they have given us a boarding pass for tomorrow, but there is no arrangement for accommodation or food. Since yesterday evening, we haven’t even had water. We have just been standing in queues, being sent from one counter to another, with no clear answers from the airline staff. This is not fair, the delay was not our fault, it was their flight, but we are the ones being made to suffer,” Ahmed added.

“We were supposed to take an 11 pm flight from Dubai, but it finally departed around 4 am. By the time we landed in Mumbai at around 9.30 am, our connecting flight was already gone. I have an emergency at home, my father has passed away, and I need to reach Bihar, but there is no clarity from the airline,” said Pawan Kumar Sharma, who was travelling with a group of 15 from Dubai-Mumbai-Bagdogra.

Anil Sahani, a passenger bound for Gorakhpur, said he came from Dubai three days ago for his sister’s wedding, but couldn’t make it. “My flight on the 28th, scheduled at 11.15 am, was cancelled later in the evening after I had already reached the airport. It’s been two days now, and I’m still stuck here while everything at home has already passed,” he added.

Salman Ansari, also bound for Gorakhpur, described repeated delays before cancellation. “Our 3 pm flight kept getting pushed—first to 4 pm, then to 5 pm. We had boarded, but were repeatedly told it would depart soon. Around 6.30 pm, we were finally told it was cancelled, citing a runway issue at Gorakhpur. Since then, we’ve been stranded,” Ansari said.

“People have emergencies, someone has a death at home, someone has a wedding today. One passenger has travelled from Dubai for his daughter’s wedding and is still stuck. I paid around Rs 12,000 for an urgent trip, but I’ve been here for over a day. We could have taken a train for much less,” he said.

Sources on the ground indicated the disruption may also be linked to a technical issue involving an aircraft, with staff saying they had limited clarity beyond possible engine-related concerns.