Fresh technical snag hits Hyderabad–Tirupati SpiceJet flight; panic among passengers

Hyderabad: A technical malfunction forced a SpiceJet flight from Hyderabad to Tirupati to return mid-air on Thursday, triggering concern among passengers and raising fresh questions over flight safety.

The aircraft, which took off from Shamshabad airport in the morning, developed a technical snag while approaching its destination. With just 10 minutes left to land in Tirupati, the pilot detected the issue and decided to turn the flight back to Hyderabad as a precaution. The plane landed safely at Shamshabad airport.

Passengers expressed distress after the flight, scheduled to land in Tirupati, was abruptly rerouted. Many demanded that the airline provide an alternate flight. No official explanation was provided by SpiceJet about the nature of the fault.

This marks the second technical issue involving a SpiceJet aircraft at Shamshabad airport in recent days. On June 16, another Hyderabad–Tirupati SpiceJet flight (SG2138) was halted moments before takeoff after smoke was detected and a burning smell was reported inside the cabin. That flight, too, was grounded for checks, causing passengers to wait over three hours.

With multiple incidents within a short span, passenger confidence has been visibly shaken. Aviation safety concerns have intensified, especially following recent crashes in Ahmedabad and Uttarakhand, which have heightened public anxiety about air travel.