Kochi: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has disputed SpiceJet’s claim that adverse weather at Kochi was responsible for a series of flight cancellations and delays, saying there were no weather conditions at the airport that warranted disruption and slammed the airline for “spreading misinformation”.

The clarification came after SpiceJet posted a weather update on its official X handle on Saturday, stating that departures, arrivals and consequential flights from Kochi (COK) were affected by inclement weather.

“#WeatherUpdate: Due to bad weather in Kochi (COK), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might be affected,” the airline stated in its X post at 6:02 am on Saturday.

Later, in a passenger advisory, CIAL said the airline’s explanation was not supported by the conditions at the airport and noted that other airlines operating from Kochi had not reported weather-related cancellations.

“At a time when the airline is yet to satisfactorily address the concerns of affected passengers, SpiceJet has issued a social media communication spreading misinformation by attributing the disruption to bad weather at Kochi. However, there were no adverse weather conditions at Kochi warranting the disruption cited... no other airline operating from Kochi has reported such cancellations on account of weather,” CIAL stated in the advisory.

The clarification comes amid mounting complaints from SpiceJet passengers at Kochi airport, with several Gulf-bound travellers reporting prolonged waits of 15 to 20 hours, lack of clear communication and concerns over expiring visas. While CIAL’s advisory addressed the weather claim, airport sources attributed the continuing disruptions to SpiceJet's operational and financial constraints.

An airport official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the airline had accumulated significant dues and that its operations were currently being handled on a cash-and-carry basis.

“The airline is facing severe operational and financial constraints, resulting in substantial unpaid dues to multiple stakeholders, including roughly ₹2 crore to CIAL alone. As a result, we have placed them on a cash-and-carry system, requiring upfront payment before departure. Unfortunately, when flights are disrupted, the airline’s staff is often unavailable, leaving our team to manage large numbers of frustrated passengers at our service counters,” a senior CIAL official said.

The official said the airport had continued accommodating the airline’s flights to avoid creating additional difficulties for passengers during the Onam travel period.

“Out of consideration for travelers during Onam, we chose not to interrupt flight operations. We have since reached out to the DGCA and requested formal reports to address these ongoing challenges, which are currently affecting operations across the country,” the official added.

SpiceJet staff cite operational reasons
At the airport terminal, a SpiceJet ground staff member also said the disruptions were primarily due to operational and technical reasons, rather than weather.

“We are facing delays mainly due to operational reasons. We haven’t stated bad weather as the reason from our staff side. We cannot say it’s because of bad weather because other flights are operating normally from here. It is mainly due to operational and technical reasons. We have no idea why the ‘bad weather’ was cited as a reason in the X post,” a SpiceJet staff in Kochi told Onmanorama.

The staff member said SpiceJet’s active Kochi operations are currently reduced to two international services to Dubai and Fujairah respectively, while its domestic operations remain inactive.

The Fujairah service scheduled for Saturday was delayed by nearly 10 hours following rotational delays.

Flight information displays at Kochi airport showed other domestic and international carriers, including IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express, operating flights to destinations such as Mumbai, Pune and Delhi, while SpiceJet faced cancellations and cascading delays.

Gulf-bound expatriates have staged demonstrations at the terminal over the past few days, protesting prolonged waiting times, lack of communication from the airline and the possibility of their visas expiring before they can travel.

CIAL has advised passengers booked on SpiceJet flights to confirm their flight status directly with the airline before leaving for the airport.