Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at Terminal 1 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Wednesday night and into Thursday after multiple SpiceJet flights out of Mumbai were cancelled or delayed by several hours, triggering a wave of passenger fury on social media, with complaints of non-functioning refund portals, unanswered helplines and a complete absence of ground support.
Videos shared from the airport show a tense and chaotic scene — passengers with luggage crowding the terminal lobby, visibly agitated, with long queues stretching across the departure floor and no airline staff in sight to manage the situation.
In one clip, passengers are seen arguing with airport personnel, while in another, a group sits slumped on the floor surrounded by bags, seemingly resigned to the wait.
Chaos and frustration at the airport ????✈️
— Pooja (@Pooja898989898) April 30, 2026
Hundreds stranded in Mumbai due to SpiceJet delays & cancellations—passengers deserve better communication and accountability ???? pic.twitter.com/s2ngXjMdoP
The People Fury
The accounts pouring in on X painted a picture of institutional failure beyond the cancellations themselves. An X user wrote, "Extremely poor service for flight. No one is even answering the helpline. The delay has now exceeded more than 3 hours. I need an immediate rebooking or a full refund as per DGCA norms." She tagged the Ministry of Civil Aviation, SpiceJet, and AirSewa.
.@flyspicejet Extremely poor service for flight. No one is even answering the helpline. The delay has now exceeded more than 3 hours. I need an immediate rebooking or a full refund as per DGCA norms. PNR: [SYGYUV]. Please assist ASAP. @MoCA_GoI @Flyspicejet8 @airsewa_MoCA
— Vandana Singh (@LifeWithVandna) April 29, 2026
Seemant Nuniwala, who was aboard the cancelled SG 164 from Mumbai to Delhi, posted images of his cancelled boarding pass alongside a screengrab of the SpiceJet refund portal flashing an error screen. "Zero support at airport, broken refund link," he wrote. "Had to pay Rs15k for a new flight. Expect full refund and compensation per DGCA rules." He said he had submitted an AirSewa grievance numbered FA241789.
Worst experience with @flyspicejet. SG164 cancelled after hours of delay, zero support at airport, broken refund link. Submitted airsewa grievance - FA241789. Had to pay ₹15k for new flight. Expect full refund + compensation per DGCA rules. PNR NGN2WQ @DGCAIndia @GoibiboSupport pic.twitter.com/7jxmOLhBXm
— SEEMANT NUNIWALA (@seemantnuniwala) April 30, 2026
Another user, Sajan Jhawar, said he had booked a 4 p.m. flight specifically to attend an important match and was informed without prior notice that it had been pushed to 11:45 p.m. "Without any proper intimation, the flight has now been rescheduled to 11:45 PM, which is completely unacceptable," he wrote.
@flyspicejet
— sajan jhawar (@jhawar_sajan) April 30, 2026
I had booked a SpiceJet flight scheduled for 4 PM for today specifically to reach by 5 PM and attend an important match. Without any proper intimation, the flight has now been rescheduled to 11:45 PM, which is completely unacceptable.
Whereas, Krishna Kant Mishra described the scene at Terminal 1 as "pathetic," noting that SpiceJet flight SG 631 had been delayed by nearly four hours, with services to Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Bengaluru all affected.
Pathetic situation at Terminal 1, Mumbai Airport, as multiple SpiceJet flights to Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Bangalore have reportedly been delayed, causing massive inconvenience to passengers.
— Krishna Kant Mishra (@KKMishraOffice) April 30, 2026
In a shocking incident, SpiceJet flight SG 631 was delayed for nearly 4 hours, and after pic.twitter.com/Tgfhtad09H
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The SpiceJet Clarification
In a statement, a SpiceJet spokesperson said: "Three SpiceJet departures from Mumbai — SG 631 (Mumbai-Delhi), SG 553 (Mumbai-Gorakhpur) and SG 669 (Mumbai-Bengaluru) — were cancelled on April 29 due to operational reasons, including the grounding of an aircraft and adverse weather at the previous station (Bagdogra) of the operating aircraft, which led to FDTL limitations for the crew."
"The airline is operating additional flights today to accommodate the affected passengers. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and appreciate their understanding," it added.
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What The Rules Say?
Under Directorate General of Civil Aviation's rules updated in March, passengers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to a full refund to their original payment method, even on non-refundable tickets, as well as rebooking on the next available service at no additional charge.
SpiceJet did not immediately respond to queries on the refund portal failure yet.
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