Passengers travelling from Mumbai to Delhi on SpiceJet flight SG8158 had a harrowing ordeal as the flight was delayed by more than 10 hours due to operational and technical reasons. SpiceJet’s SG8158 flight from Mumbai to Delhi was originally scheduled for 9 am on 14 June, but was delayed by at least 10 hours at the time of filing this story. Passengers waiting for the flight since the morning were frustrated with the airport staff.
“An airport staff member told me that they were aware of the technical glitch in the aircraft at 1 am and were waiting for new parts to replace the old ones until the morning. I preferred to travel by air to save time, but ultimately it took more than nine hours inside the airport,” Kinjal Desai, a traveler, told FinancialExpress.com.
An airport staff member, on the condition of anonymity, mentioned that three blades of the aircraft’s left engine got bent due to a bird strike and a stone hit. “Because of these technical issues, we are unable to start the aircraft. Our technical team is here, and we are trying our best to start it as soon as possible,” he said. During the wait, the airport staff served lunch and coffee to the passengers, who had been hungry since morning.
Interestingly, the aircraft that was supposed to fly from Mumbai to Delhi was leased last week by SpiceJet from BBN Airline Indonesia. Two Boeing 737-800 aircraft (PK-BBG and PK-BBH) were wet-leased by SpiceJet on 9 June. The aircraft arrived from Jakarta. This wet-leasing arrangement is one where BBN Airlines Indonesia provides the aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance to SpiceJet. It is common in the airline industry to make up for capacity requirements.
