Passengers on a SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Darbhanga, Bihar, endured over an hour without air-conditioning amid a severe heatwave.
Viral videos show passengers fanning themselves with brochures, magazines, and handkerchiefs, visibly distressed by the heat. Many passengers appeared to struggle with the high temperatures, and several reportedly felt unwell.
SpiceJet stated that flight SG 476 departed from Delhi airport at 11 am "without any delays," with normal air-conditioning during the flight and its return to Delhi. However, the airline acknowledged AC issues during boarding, citing "extreme weather conditions" and the aircraft doors being open as the primary reasons.
"During boarding in Delhi, the air conditioning initially experienced slight inefficiency due to extreme weather conditions and both doors of the aircraft being open, as boarding was not via the aerobridge. The doors were promptly closed after boarding completion, and the cooling functioned normally thereafter," explained a SpiceJet spokesperson.
Rohan Kumar, a passenger, reported to ANI that the AC was only turned on after take-off. "At the Delhi airport after the check-in, they did not switch on the air-conditioning for an hour. The temperature inside the flight was at least 40 degrees. The passengers were suffering. The AC was switched on when the flight took off," he said.
This incident follows another heat-related issue involving an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bagdogra, West Bengal, which was delayed by three hours due to high ground temperatures causing a technical snag.
The soaring temperatures in Delhi and other parts of northern India have heightened the risk of heat strokes, with at least five deaths and twelve people on life support at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the past two days.