A Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight (SG937) had to make a mid-air turnback shortly after take-off from Pune on Monday morning due to a technical issue.
According to the airline, the flight crew noticed the flap transit light illuminated soon after departure. As a precaution, the pilots followed standard safety procedures and decided to return to Pune.
“The operating crew carried out all necessary checks as per the standard operating procedures. The aircraft landed safely, and passengers were deplaned normally,” a SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement.
The flight, originally scheduled to leave Pune at 6:00 a.m., departed 40 minutes late and was expected to land in Delhi at 8:10 a.m., as per flightradar24 data. Affected passengers are being shifted to alternate flights or offered full refunds.
Past Incidents Raise Questions
This is not the first time SpiceJet has faced operational setbacks. On August 29, a Srinagar-bound flight with 205 passengers had to make an emergency landing due to pressurisation problems. Earlier in June, a Hyderabad–Tirupati flight with 80 passengers returned just 10 minutes after take-off when the rear baggage door light intermittently illuminated.
As per the Ministry of State for Civil Aviation, 5,706 flights across airlines — including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet — were cancelled between January and June 2025 due to regulatory and geopolitical factors. This accounted for nearly 1% of total scheduled departures in the same period.
While Monday’s turnback did not involve an emergency landing, it adds to the growing scrutiny on SpiceJet’s safety record and the broader challenges facing India’s aviation sector.
