Dense fog engulfed the national capital on Friday morning, delaying several flights from New Delhi. A social media user called out SpiceJet's "poor planning and sheer mismanagement."
According to Pratyush Rawat's post on X, he and other passengers were made to wait inside the aircraft for nearly 2 hours despite the "foreseeable delay".
The SpiceJet flight, scheduled to take off early on Friday morning, was among the dozens that faced delays due to fog.
Rawat, who was travelling with an infant, slammed the airline, saying it should have ensured ATC clearance before boarding the passenger because “waiting in the lounge would’ve been much more manageable”.
Sharing how his 2-hour flight was turned into a 6-hour ordeal, the Z user said, “Boarded SG263 Delhi-Kolkata at 6 am, but still grounded after 2 hrs due to dense fog. There are infants & elderly onboard—this delay was foreseeable and is sheer poor planning. Airlines should ensure ATC clearance before boarding.”.
He tagged both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Spicejet in his post and asked, “Why board SG263 knowing dense fog delays were foreseeable?”
“I have an infant in my lap, and this 2-hr flight has turned into a 6-hr ordeal. Waiting in the lounge would’ve been much more manageable. This is poor planning and sheer mismanagement,” he added.
A thick blanket of dense fog enveloped Delhi Friday morning, reducing visibility to zero. According to news agency PTI, more than 100 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Friday morning as low visibility conditions due to dense fog impacted operations.
However, Delhi Airport said there have been no reports of cancellations or diversions as of now.
According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, 0.9 notches below normal, and the air quality was recorded as severe.
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