Several passengers reportedly felt unwell due to the long exposure to such heat.
In the punishing heatwave, passengers on a SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Bihar's Darbhanga were forced to sit inside the aircraft without air-conditioning for over an hour. Passengers could be seen fanning themselves frantically in the packed flight, in videos that are viral.
In one video, passengers are seen using brochures, magazines, handkerchiefs and whatever they can get their hands on to fan themselves briskly. Many wipe sweat off their faces. Several passengers reportedly felt unwell sitting in the heat for so long.
Spicejet said flight SG 476 left at 11 am from Delhi airport "without any delays" and the air-conditioning was normal during the flight as well as its return to Delhi. But the airline admitted there were AC problems "due to extreme weather conditions" during boarding.
"During boarding in Delhi, the air conditioning initially experienced slight inefficiency due to extreme weather conditions and both doors of the aircraft being open, as boarding was not via the aerobridge. The doors were promptly closed after boarding completion, and the cooling functioned normally thereafter," an airline spokesperson said.
Rohan Kumar, a passenger, told news agency ANI that the flight's AC was switched on only after take-off. "At the Delhi airport after the check-in, they did not switch on the air-conditioning for an hour. The temperature inside the flight was at least 40 degrees. The passengers were suffering. The AC was switched on when the flight took off," he said.
This incident comes days after an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bagdogra in Bengal was delayed by three hours due to severe heat. The high ground temperatures led to a technical snag which caused the delay, officials said.
Soaring temperatures in the national capital and other parts of northern India have left millions vulnerable to heat strokes. At least five people have died in the last two days and 12 are on life support at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital due to the heatwave.
Soaring temperatures in the national capital and other parts of northern India have left millions vulnerable to heat strokes. At least seven people have died in the last two days and 12 are on life support at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital due to the heatwave.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the heat index, or the "feels-like" temperature in Delhi surged to 50 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The city had recorded a minimum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius last night.