Incident Report
A SpiceJet flight from Dubai to New Delhi landed without the luggage of any of its passengers on Wednesday evening, leaving confused travelers and a sea of empty luggage trolleys at Delhi airport.
Flight Details
The flight, SG-12, carrying 148 passengers, took off at around 12pm UAE time (1.30pm IST) after a short delay and landed at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 5pm India time.
Passenger Reactions
The confusion began when passengers gathered around the conveyor belt and discovered that not a single piece of luggage had made the journey. One by one, people realized that nothing had arrived. Passengers were shocked to learn that all of the flight’s luggage was still in Dubai.
Airline Response
Airline staff reportedly asked passengers to fill out baggage irregularity reports (BIRs) and assured them that their luggage would be flown in on the next available service. Some travelers said they were later informed that the plane was overweight, forcing the airline to unload all checked baggage – an explanation many found difficult to believe.
Previous Incidents
Reports said this was not the first such incident involving SpiceJet, adding that the airline has been repeatedly criticized over its baggage handling on international routes. The incident came barely 24 hours after another disruption at the airline, where a flight was delayed for 14 hours and then canceled due to "operational reasons". Passengers said they had to wait at the airport all day without food or accommodation, terming the repeated disruptions as "unacceptable".
Aftermath
SpiceJet had not issued a statement at the time of the incident. The affected passengers are still waiting for their luggage to arrive, with some reporting losses worth over Dh5,000. The incident has raised concerns about the airline’s handling of baggage and its communication with passengers.
