Minutes before landing, SpiceJet plays national anthem with passengers still strapped to seats

The cabin crew of a SpiceJet flight flying from Tirupati to Hyderabad on April 18 played the national anthem minutes before landing. However, the passengers, abiding by the flight rules, remained strapped to their seats. This compelled a passenger on board to file a complaint with the airline.

"The passengers and cabin crew were not in a position to stand up and accord it due respect. We were surprised when the national anthem was played and the passengers were forced to abide by the pilot's directions to



keep the seat belt on," said Puneet Tiwari, the complainant, to Times of India.

Puneet, a bank manager, also alleged that one of the crew members switched off the music system in the middle of the anthem and later switched it on again.

A SpiceJet spokesman told , "On this flight, inadvertently, our crew selected the wrong number on the playlist and the National Anthem started playing. Immediately, the same was stopped. We regret any inconvenience caused to our esteemed customers."