Passengers were left gasping for breath after an “aircon failure” reportedly turned a plane into a furnace ahead of take-off.
Footage from inside the cabin shows distressed passengers yelling and frantically fanning themselves.
One passenger could be heard shouting in Hindi: “Tell them to open the gate! Otherwise I’ll break it down.”
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Another was heard pleading with a flight attendant to let him step outside “for just one minute”.
The SpiceJet flight to Pune, India, was preparing to leave New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport when the temperature inside the cabin reportedly soared, leaving passengers struggling to breathe.
Traveller Leshpal Javalge told local media: “The flight was scheduled for 9.55pm, but we boarded at around 10.30pm.
“Initially, we thought the AC would take some time to start, as sometimes happens after boarding. But nearly half an hour passed and the cabin became extremely hot.
“The aircraft was completely full and, with the doors closed, the heat and humidity became unbearable.”
He continued: “We were drenched in sweat. There were 150 passengers on the flight and no AC or ventilation.
“There were pregnant women, children and elderly passengers onboard. Everyone was scared for their lives. Children began to cry.”
Describing the cabin as a “gas chamber”, Leshpal added: “A pregnant woman started feeling breathless and was about to faint.
“We raised the alarm that she would die if she was not attended to immediately.”
Passengers grabbed newspapers, magazines and safety cards from their seat pockets to fan themselves and others.
Some begged the crew to open the doors, but the captain reportedly appeared keen to get the plane off the ground.
Tensions rose when some passengers attempted to open the aircraft’s main door themselves, despite the boarding ladder having already been wheeled away.
Eventually, the passengers’ demands were met and they were allowed to deboard, as reported by Need To Know.
However, they were made to board again 20 minutes later, according to reports.
The plane then reportedly sat on the runway for about two hours, with no refreshments provided, prompting passengers to demand that it be changed.
Eventually, a technical team arrived, identified the issue and recommended changing the aircraft.
The 2h 10min flight finally took off at 5am on Wednesday (12 August), more than seven hours after its scheduled departure time.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said: “On August 11, 2026, SpiceJet flight SG 105, scheduled to operate from Delhi to Pune, encountered a last-minute technical issue.
“An alternate aircraft was arranged, and the flight subsequently operated to Pune. SpiceJet deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to the passengers.”
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