Jharsuguda, Dec 23: Passengers aboard SpiceJet flight SG 8941 from Delhi to Jharsuguda faced a distressing experience when the airline abruptly canceled the flight after subjecting them to a nine-hour wait at Delhi airport.
The flight, initially scheduled for a 12:20 pm departure on Friday, experienced multiple changes in departure times before being ultimately canceled around 9 pm after the long wait.
Passengers claimed that the airline's staff neither provided them with a designated lounge for waiting nor confirmed whether the flight would operate on Saturday, leading to expressions of anger towards the airlines.
In a notable development, Mumbai-based businessman Harihara Mahapatra and his wife Preeti Mahapatra have declared a significant investment of Rs 1,100 crore in the financially strained SpiceJet. The airline disclosed this investment in an exchange filing, revealing that the Mahapatra couple, promoters of Mahapatra Universal Limited, would jointly hold a 21.98% stake in the airline.
Worth mentioning, Jharsuguda airport, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22, 2018, has been operational since then, serving scheduled flights to Bengaluru, Delhi, and Kolkata. The airport was constructed under the Centre's UDAN scheme at a cost of Rs 200 crore, including the Odisha government's contribution of Rs 75 crore.
