SpiceJet cancelled its Pune–Patna flight SG-646 after hours of delays and gate changes, leaving more than 150 passengers stranded at Pune airport during the Chhath travel period and forcing some to arrange costly alternatives at short notice.
The flight was scheduled to leave Pune at 8.10pm and reach Patna at 10.20pm. Passengers said the airline first postponed the departure to 11.45pm before issuing boarding passes and shifting the gate from 7 to 9. The cancellation was announced by ground staff around 2.30am after repeated assurances that boarding would begin.
Businessman Harshvardhan Mishra, who reached the airport around 9pm, told The Times of India that boarding passes were issued at about 9.45pm. He said passengers were later told that the aircraft had arrived and boarding would start around 12.45am, but the assurances continued until approximately 2am.
“The gate was then changed from 7 to 9, where there were barely 15-20 chairs for passengers,” Mishra said. He said the airline’s ground staff finally announced that the flight had been cancelled. He also said he had recently been discharged from hospital and was severely diabetic.
Another passenger, Himanshu Singh of Mhalunge, said the explanations for the delay changed through the night. According to Singh, passengers were initially told that an aircraft arriving from Patna would operate the flight. He said cabin crew were asked to board and then told to disembark, while passengers were later informed that the aircraft required checks and that a technical problem could prevent it from flying to Patna.
Singh said passengers were subsequently told that the aircraft would be flown to Delhi for repairs. He also alleged that only three SpiceJet ground staff members were available and that they were unable to connect passengers with a supervisor. A response from a SpiceJet spokesperson to The Times of India’s WhatsApp query about the cancellation was awaited when the report was published.
The disruption escalated inside the terminal as passengers faced uncertainty, limited seating and a lack of refreshments. Central Industrial Security Force personnel intervened after tempers rose. Some women passengers reportedly wept because they feared missing Chhath celebrations with their families, while several passengers sat on the terminal floor in protest and played devotional songs.
Passengers said airline staff told them that refreshments, food and drinking water were unavailable. A group of passengers bought small mineral-water bottles and distributed them among those stranded.
The disruption also exposed the immediate financial consequences of a cancelled flight during a peak travel period. Singh said last-minute fares to Patna were around Rs30,000 per passenger. Mishra said he booked an alternative itinerary through Indore and Delhi to reach Patna at a cost of Rs28,000.
Some affected passengers were accommodated on a flight scheduled for Friday, but Singh said he received a notification at 10.30pm showing a revised departure time. He said ground staff had warned passengers that there was no guarantee the flight would operate.
The incident prompted questions about oversight of SpiceJet’s operations and financial condition. Union minister of state for civil aviation and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol said he would need three to four days to respond to a question on whether the government was considering a temporary suspension of SpiceJet flights. Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu had earlier said the government was monitoring the airline’s financial health.
Mishra said he planned to take legal action against the airline and other agencies after returning. He also said he had contacted Pune police for help but received no assistance from the police or airport authorities. The immediate next steps for passengers depend on their revised flight arrangements and any response from SpiceJet or aviation authorities regarding the cancellation.
