Sources at the airport say that this is the only flight which is delayed most of the times as it comes from Mumbai
If you have booked your tickets on SpiceJet's 10.20 pm flight from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI) to Mumbai, be prepared to wait a few hours before boarding your flight. Going by the recent past of SG628, which is scheduled to depart from Ahmedabad daily at 10.20 pm, its passengers are often found stranded due to a delay at the SVPI airport.
On Wednesday night too, after passengers had reached the airport, they received an SMS citing an hour's delay and then more. Eventually the flight departed at 12.25 am. Sources at the airport say that this is the only flight which is delayed most of the times as it comes from Mumbai.
The flight has been delayed five times since August 19, a source from the airport told DNA. When asked about its route, the source said, "The flight on any given day operates from Ahmedabad-Pune-Mumbai-Bengaluru-Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Mumbai and hence gets stuck for clearances."
Amit Pande, an HR professional from Mumbai who often travels to Ahmedabad says, "I fly to Ahmedabad several times a month and it is usually a single day's visit. My experience with SpiceJet's night flight has been really bad. I have experienced delays thrice. Once a minor delay and twice a delay of more than two hours. If this is a frequent problem, why can't the airline deploy another aircraft on this route?"
Another source said, "The staff has written to the higher authorities about the frequent delays but the way a slot is given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in Mumbai, it appears that this problem will persist."
An official statement from the airline said, "To say that the Ahmedabad–Mumbai flight is often delayed by more than three hours is absolutely wrong and baseless. There have been a few instances when the flight has indeed been delayed, but these are few and far between and have been caused due to factors that are not under the airline's control like present monsoon conditions and severe ATC congestion at Mumbai and other airports where the same aircraft operates to before operating the Ahmedabad-Mumbai leg."
When DNA contacted Manoj Gangal, Director, SVPI, he said, "If the flight is getting delayed often, I will ask the airline for the flight's past one month's schedule to see whether there is a pattern or not. If so, I will act accordingly."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "SpiceJet")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}