In another incident of mismanagement or mishandling of air passengers at the airport, SpiceJet airline on Tuesday allegedly locked passengers between the boarding gate and an aircraft which was scheduled to take off for Bengaluru at Delhi airport.
Meanwhile, a SpiceJet spokesperson issued a clarification stating that the flight was delayed due to weather disruption in the network and passengers were requested to wait at the aerobridge as the security check was already done. “The incoming crew was not legal to operate the subsequent flight to Bengaluru and crew was arranged from another incoming flight. On average, the turnaround time for a Boeing aircraft is 40-45 minutes at Delhi airport, while on this particular flight the turnaround time was around 20 minutes more than the average turnaround time. As passengers had completed the security check, they were requested to wait at the aerobridge," the SpiceJet spokesperson said.
A video on social media shows that when passengers of Delhi-Bengaluru flight SG 8133 asked to open the boarding gate so that they could rest back in the waiting area, the authorities denied it and went missing. Stuck between two closed doors, many passengers including senior citizens, got visibly upset. A video posted by one of the travelers shows people banging on the transparent doors asking the airline staff for water.
They were denied to move back to the waiting area and were confined there for more than an hour.The passenger claims that airline told them to ask for water once inside plane but failed to tell them when the flight would depart.