Over 180 passengers travelling from Dubai to Kochi, stranded at Coimbatore airport
The flight was scheduled to land in Kochi at 8:30 pm on Friday night, but weather conditions forced it to divert to Coimbatore airport, where it landed around 9:30 pm.
SpiceJet flight image used for representational purposes only.(File Photo | PTI)
Updated on:
17 Aug 2025, 7:46 am
COIMBATORE: Tension gripped Coimbatore airport late on Friday night after more than 180 passengers of a private airline, traveling from Dubai to Kochi, were stranded without proper arrangements for food, accommodation, and onward travel.
A SpiceJet flight from Dubai to Kochi, carrying 184 passengers, including children, women, and heart patients, departed from Dubai at 2:20 pm on Friday after a 55-minute delay. The flight was scheduled to land in Kochi at 8:30 pm on Friday night, but weather conditions forced it to divert to Coimbatore airport, where it landed around 9:30 pm.
The stranded passengers immediately sought help from airline staff, demanding basic amenities such as water, food, and transportation to Kochi. After a significant delay, the private airline arranged bus facilities only at 2:30 am on Saturday morning. However, many distressed passengers, according to sources, had already left for Kerala by hiring private vehicles.
"All 184 of us reached Dubai airport around 9 am on Friday, as our boarding time was 12:25 pm. The flight, which was supposed to depart at 1:25 pm, was delayed by an hour and was expected to reach Kochi by 8:30 pm. However, the cabin crew informed us that we were landing at Coimbatore due to adverse weather conditions, and we arrived around 9:30 pm. We were kept in the aircraft for about an hour, hoping the flight would immediately return to Kochi. An hour later, the crew informed us that they could not fly to Kochi as the weather had worsened and said they would arrange bus facilities for us to reach Kerala by road. However, they failed to make any such arrangements," said Resmi Printo, a freelance journalist from Kerala who works in the UAE.
"Upset with their response, the passengers began to question them, but the staff did not know what to do. After a heated argument, someone finally arranged two buses at 3 am. on Saturday, and about 50 people boarded them to get to Kerala. I reached my hometown, Athani in Thrissur, at 6.30 am. on Saturday, and those going to Kochi took even longer. The journey was incredibly difficult, as it took about 20 hours without proper food or a place to stay. Women, children, and heart patients had an even harder time. Only about one-third of the passengers used the buses. The rest left for Kerala by hiring private vehicles," Resmi added.
When questioned, a senior official stated the private airline had closed its office after it withdrew its services from Coimbatore and did not have staff there. The airline is currently establishing a new unit, hoping to resume service in a couple of months. The official explained that the lack of staff and proper links with hotels and other necessary services caused their failure to handle the passengers appropriately.
"We consistently insist that all flight operators arrange basic facilities for their passengers. In this case, they failed to do so," the officer said.
The flight departed for Kochi at 3pm on Saturday, a senior official at Coimbatore airport said.
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