Passengers on SpiceJet flight SG 105 [1] protested after an air-conditioning failure made the cabin unbearably hot during a trip from Delhi to Pune.
The incident highlights growing concerns over aircraft maintenance and passenger safety within the regional aviation sector. When climate control systems fail in high-temperature environments, cabins can quickly become hazardous for travelers and crew.
The flight departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi [1], [2], [3]. According to reports, a technical snag disabled the aircraft's air-conditioning system [1], [2]. This failure caused temperatures inside the plane to rise significantly, leading passengers to describe the environment as a "gas chamber" [1], [3].
There were more than 100 [1] passengers on board the aircraft. As the heat became oppressive, those on board began to protest the conditions. The situation escalated as travelers expressed frustration over the lack of cooling and the perceived lack of immediate resolution to the technical issue [2], [3].
SpiceJet has not provided a detailed public breakdown of the specific mechanical failure that led to the outage. However, the reports indicate that the malfunction occurred while the plane was operating the route toward Pune Airport [1], [2], [3].
The incident was captured in videos shared by passengers, showing the distress of those trapped in the heat. The protest centered on the airline's failure to maintain a habitable cabin temperature, a basic requirement for passenger transport during the summer months.
“Passengers described the cabin as a 'gas chamber'”
This incident underscores the critical nature of environmental control systems in aviation, particularly in South Asia's extreme heat. While a cooling failure is not typically a flight-safety risk in terms of aerodynamics, it creates a public health risk for passengers susceptible to heatstroke and reflects poorly on the carrier's maintenance protocols.
