Spicejet hits turbulence: Eight flights cancelled

Chennai: At least eight flights of the low-cost carrier SpiceJet, plying out of Chennai airport, were cancelled on Thursday. According to data from the airport, flights scheduled for Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati and Madurai were affected.

The cancellations are reportedly part of the Kalanidhi Maran owned airline flight restructuring plan. Reports stated that the company has cut 40 out of the nearly 340 flights it was operating daily across the country.

Kamlesh Singh, 25, had to postpone his trip to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh after his travel plans were hit by the flight cancellations.

“I had booked a flight to Lucknow from Chennai via Delhi on November 23rd, but while the Chennai-Delhi flight is operating, the connecting flight to Lucknow has been cancelled,” rued the first time flier.

A senior airport official said that the winter schedule of SpiceJet (from November 1) had lesser flights than usual.

“Besides, they have sent three or four flights for reconfiguration. Two of their flights are grounded one hit a buffalo in Surat a couple of days ago and another was affected by a fire accident on the Chandigarh-Delhi route.”

Meanwhile, an official statement from SpiceJet refuted media reports that their operations out of Chennai were severely affected.

“These rumours are categorically untrue. There are 31 daily departures in our current modified schedule, of which all are operating normally. The timing and lack of truthfulness in these stories suggest that vested interests are at play,” it read.