SpiceJet flights were delayed or cancelled at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday, leaving passengers facing disruption as the airline continues to deal with financial and operational difficulties.
Delhi Airport said its teams were coordinating with SpiceJet and other stakeholders to assist affected passengers and manage the situation on the ground. “We regret the inconvenience faced by passengers due to the operational disruption of some SpiceJet flights. Delhi Airport teams are actively coordinating with the airline and relevant stakeholders to support affected passengers and provide necessary assistance,” the airport said in a post on X.
Ground-handling teams and airport staff were assisting stranded passengers and coordinating with airline representatives, according to the report. The airport did not provide details on the number of flights affected, the routes involved or the duration of the delays and cancellations.
SpiceJet had not issued a formal statement on the disruption at the time of reporting. The immediate disruption comes amid continuing concerns over the airline’s financial position and the availability of aircraft for regular operations. A large portion of SpiceJet’s fleet has remained grounded, affecting the carrier’s operating capacity.
The disruption also brings renewed attention to the dependence of airport operations on the financial and technical health of individual airlines. While airport teams can help manage passengers and coordinate ground services, flight schedules, aircraft availability and airline-level cancellations remain the responsibility of the carrier. The Delhi Airport statement indicated that coordination was under way, but did not announce a broader change to airport operations.
The Union government has been engaging with SpiceJet over its financial and operational challenges. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said earlier this month that the government meets airlines regularly to discuss difficulties and had been urging SpiceJet to increase its operations, particularly by addressing its financial problems.
“We have been pushing them to step up their operations, especially mainly the financial side of it. And they have also assured that they will be doing it quite soon,” Naidu said on September 3, according to the report.
Asked whether SpiceJet had sought additional financial support from the government, the minister said the airline had not directly sought such assistance but was attempting to access funds under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme. “No, in terms of support, there is the ECLGS scheme. They are trying to avail some money through that scheme,” he said.
In May, the Union Cabinet approved ECLGS 5.0 to provide targeted credit support to Indian airlines facing financial stress linked to factors including higher aviation turbine fuel prices, airspace closures and reduced operations, particularly on international routes.
The Delhi Airport disruption leaves affected passengers dependent on further updates from SpiceJet and airport authorities regarding revised schedules, cancellations and assistance arrangements. The airport said its teams would continue coordinating with the airline and other stakeholders to support passengers on the ground.
