Passengers staged a protest at Kolkata airport on Thursday after SpiceJet flight SG648 to Bengaluru departed more than six hours late, with travellers alleging that the airline failed to provide timely information or clear updates about the disruption.
The flight was scheduled to leave Kolkata at 9.10 am but finally took off at 3.29 pm, according to airport sources cited by The Times of India. Several passengers said they had reached the airport well ahead of the scheduled departure but were not told why the flight was delayed or when it would operate.
Passengers also alleged that repeated calls to the airline’s duty manager went unanswered and that the duty phone remained busy for long stretches. Calls to the station manager were also reportedly not answered, adding to frustration among travellers waiting at the airport.
As the delay continued, a group of passengers gathered outside the airport manager’s office and staged a protest. They demanded explanations from the airline and accountability for the lack of communication during the disruption.
Airport sources said the incident was the second disruption involving SpiceJet at Kolkata airport in two days. On Wednesday, passengers from another SpiceJet flight reportedly surrounded the airport manager and demonstrated after their flight failed to depart on time.
Senior airport officials later alerted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, or DGCA, about Thursday’s situation. A senior airport official said the airport manager should not be held responsible for the airline’s operational lapses and that the carrier was required to respond directly to passengers and take responsibility for communication failures.
The official described the failure of the airline’s duty mobile and the station manager to respond to calls as a serious dereliction of duty. The report did not specify whether DGCA had initiated a formal inquiry or whether the airline had announced compensation or other assistance for the affected passengers.
The disruption places the focus not only on flight punctuality but also on the passenger communication systems that connect airlines, airports and regulators during operational failures. Further action will depend on the response from SpiceJet and DGCA.
