HYDERABAD: A Nashik-bound SpiceJet flight returned to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad just 20 minutes after taking off due to a technical snag, on Tuesday morning.
The flight with 72 passengers onboard took off at 6.10 am and returned to the airport at around 6.30 am. The passengers were forced to wait for three hours before the airline announced cancellation of the flight. Earlier, the passengers demanded that the airline arrange another flight.
SpiceJet has been facing operational and financial headwinds in recent times. It is already under the enhanced surveillance of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The DGCA had directed the airline to operate just 50 per cent of its total flights.
On October 12, passengers had to survive some anxious moments after smoke began emanating from the cabin of a SpiceJet flight on its way to Hyderabad from Goa. All 86 passengers were evacuated safely through the emergency exit. However, one passenger received minor scratches on the feet while exiting the plane.