SpiceJet passengers travelling from Ahmedabad to Varanasi were left facing major disruption after their flight was reportedly cancelled without advance notification, forcing some travellers to search for replacement tickets at substantially higher fares during the Diwali travel period.
According to a report by Divya Bhaskar, the flight was scheduled to depart from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 5.45 pm. Several passengers said they reached the airport on time but found that the flight was no longer operating. They alleged that SpiceJet had not sent them a cancellation message or email before they arrived at the airport.
The passengers also reported that no responsible airline representative was available at the SpiceJet counter to explain why the service had been cancelled or when and how ticket refunds would be processed. The absence of clear information left travellers uncertain about both their onward journeys and the money already paid for their bookings.
Dr Kaival Shah, one of the affected passengers, told Divya Bhaskar that he reached the airport at 4.45 pm for the scheduled service. He said airport staff told him that there was no such flight, while he had received no prior communication from SpiceJet. Shah said passengers were unable to obtain clear answers from the airline office and that a replacement ticket could cost about three times the original fare.
The report also described disruption on other routes. One passenger said a flight originally scheduled for 3 pm had been delayed until 5.50 pm, while travellers waiting at the airport received no clear response. Another passenger travelling to Kerala said the airline’s system showed the flight as confirmed until 4.30 pm, but the service was later found to have been cancelled after passengers reached the airport.
The accounts point to two separate service failures for affected travellers: the cancellation or alteration of flights, and the lack of timely communication and assistance at the airport. During a high-demand travel period, passengers who must reach their destinations on fixed dates can be forced to purchase last-minute alternatives at fares several times higher than their original bookings.
The report did not include a response from SpiceJet explaining the reason for the cancellations, the status of refunds or the assistance available to affected passengers. It also did not establish whether the disruption was caused by an operational, technical or scheduling issue. Those details remain necessary for determining the airline’s responsibility and the remedies available to passengers.
For travellers, the immediate unresolved issues are the refund timeline, any compensation or rebooking assistance, and the status of other affected flights from Ahmedabad. The incident also highlights the importance of real-time airline communication and staffed help counters when cancellations occur at a busy airport.
