Passengers flying from Jaipur to Dubai experienced severe delays over the weekend, with some flights departing as much as nine hours behind schedule, as technical issues and operational setbacks wreaked havoc on one of the region’s busiest air corridors.
On Sunday, July 13, SpiceJet flight SG 57, originally scheduled to depart Jaipur at 9.30am IST, did not take off until 6.22pm — a delay of nearly nine hours. The airline blamed the disruption on a technical issue with the incoming flight, SG 58, which was held up in Dubai. According to flight tracking data, SG 58, which was due to depart Dubai at 3.40am UAE time, only took off at 12.19pm and arrived in Jaipur at 5.34pm.
Frustrated passengers at Jaipur airport reported a complete lack of communication from airline staff. “There was no information for hours. We just kept waiting at the gate,” said S. Parmar, a Sharjah resident who was travelling with his family. Another passenger remarked, “In nine hours, we could’ve made a round trip.”
The disruption follows a similar incident just a day earlier, when Air India Express flight IX-195 from Jaipur to Dubai was delayed by almost six hours, despite the timely arrival of the inbound aircraft. This marked the second time in a week that SG 57 experienced lengthy delays — on July 8, the same flight departed seven hours late.
The chaos was not limited to Jaipur. In Mumbai, SpiceJet flight SG 59 to Dubai faced an 11-hour delay on Sunday, sparking outrage among passengers. Indian media reported heated altercations between stranded travellers and ground staff, with viral videos showing passengers sitting on the terminal floor, chanting slogans and complaining of a lack of food, water, and updates.
In a statement released later, SpiceJet acknowledged the disruption, attributing it to extended maintenance work and crew limitations. “The aircraft was being serviced, and the operation took longer than expected, with the operating crew crossing their Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL),” a spokesperson said. “We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers.”
Khaleej Times has reached out to both SpiceJet and Air India Express for further comment, but responses were still awaited at the time of publication.
With the summer travel season in full swing, affected passengers are calling for more transparent communication and timely updates to avoid similar situations in the future.
