SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Shirdi diverted to Mumbai – Times of India

PUNE: A SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Shirdi on Thursday was diverted to Mumbai because of bad weather and the over 150 passengers on board were made to sit in the aircraft for around five hours before being told to travel to the temple town by road.
In its official statement, a SpiceJet spokesperson said, “SpiceJet flight SG 953 dated May 19 operating from Delhi to Shirdi was diverted to Mumbai due to bad weather at the Shirdi airport. The flight departed at 2. 50pm from Delhi and was scheduled to land in Shirdi at 4. 50pm. Owing to strong crosswinds, the flight could not land at the Shirdi airport. At 5. 10pm, the captain, after attempting two approaches, decided to divert to Mumbai, where the aircraft landed at 5. 35 pm. ”
The statement said, “Shirdi airport operates under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and flight operations are not permitted after sunset. Hence, passengers were given the option of hotel accommodation in Mumbai or to travel by road in coaches provided by SpiceJet. Around 50 passengers opted for hotel accommodation and the remaining passengers decided to travel to Shirdi from Mumbai by road. ”
Vikrant Chandwadkar, one of the flyers and also a pilot, told TOI that the trouble started after the flight got diverted. “The flight was about to land in Shirdi. Some people had switched on their phones and were receiving the signal. The pilot tried to land around four times, but couldn’t. The flight started to gain altitude again and in a while the pilot announced that landing wasn’t possible because of the winds and thus the flight was being diverted to Mumbai. It landed in Mumbai around 6pm, after which the trouble started,” Chandwadkar said. He added that they were told that the aircraft, a Boeing 737Max, was being refuelled and they would take off to the Ozar airport in Nashik, as Shirdi did not have the night landing facility.
“From 6pm to 9. 30pm, all passengers were made to sit in the same aircraft. Many lost their cool and had altercations with the cabin crew. The pilot, too, came out of the cockpit to pacify the passengers. The airconditioner was switched off, which infuriated the flyers. By then the condition of the washrooms was getting worse. During this time, some flyers, who had to travel to Hyderabad, were offloaded and taken to a different aircraft. Around 9. 30pm, the crew announced that the flight would not be able to fly to Nashik and the offloading started,” Chandwarkar added.