CHENNAI: A SpiceJet passenger aircraft bound for Mumbai from Chennai was grounded on the runway on Friday morning after a technical snag was detected just before take-off. As the flight has now been rescheduled to depart only by 5.30 pm, nearly 185 passengers have been stranded at Chennai airport for over nine hours.

According to airline officials, the flight, scheduled to depart at 8.30 am from Chennai domestic airport, had 185 passengers and seven crew members on board, taking the total to 192 people. During routine checks before the aircraft began its take-off run, the pilot noticed a mechanical issue in the engine and immediately decided it was unsafe to proceed.

Following this, air traffic control was informed, the aircraft doors were opened, and all passengers were safely deboarded and moved to airport lounges. Initially, the airline announced that the flight would depart at 10.30 am, while engineers began repair work.

However, as repairs were not completed even by 11 am, passengers who had been waiting for hours grew restless and staged a protest by surrounding the SpiceJet counter inside the terminal. Airport and security officials intervened and pacified the passengers.

Later, SpiceJet announced that the flight would depart at 5.30 pm, advising passengers to return to the airport by 4 pm if they wished to step outside. Arrangements, including meals, were made for those who chose to remain inside the terminal, after which the situation eased.