The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which oversees aviation, ordered low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday to fly only half of its authorised flights during the summer schedule for a duration of eight weeks.
The action comes after the DGCA inspected, performed spot checks, and looked over the airline’s response to the show-cause notice that was given on it after eight incidences of technical difficulties in just eighteen days.
SpiceJet issued a statement in reaction to the DGCA move stating that it has already rescheduled its flights due to the existing low traffic season. As a result, the regulator’s ruling won’t have any effect on company operations or cause any flights to be cancelled.
“We have received the DGCA notice and therefore will follow the regulator’s instructions. Like other airlines, SpiceJet had already postponed its flight operations due to the present slow travel season. There will therefore be no effect at all on our flying operations”.
They further stated that, there will therefore be no effect at all on our flying operations. In the upcoming days and weeks, we want to reassure all of our customers that their flights will run on time. This directive won’t result in any flight cancellations
Several SpiceJet planes have either returned to their starting point or made a landing with reduced safety margins over the past few months. However, the DGCA reports that the airline is taking action to stop the trend of occurrences.
‘What was in that order’ :
The order stated that SpiceJet must prove to the DGCA’s satisfaction that it has adequate technical assistance and financial resources to handle such an increased capacity before it may boost departures by more than 50% during the eight-week term. They said that, “the airline would be under ‘increased surveillance’ by the DGCA for the eight-week period. Following that, a decision in this regard will be made.
Following an examination of the reported malfunction events involving SpiceJet aircraft, the DGCA found that there was inadequate internal safety supervision and maintenance procedures, which led to a reduction in safety margins. Additionally, a financial analysis conducted by the aviation regulator in September 2021 disclosed that the airline was using a “cash-and-carry” business model and that approved vendors or suppliers were not being paid on time, which resulted in a shortage of spare parts and a high frequency of the use of minimum equipment lists.
SpiceJet received a show-cause notice from the DGCA on July 5 for failing to establish a dependable, safe, and efficient air transportation service. Three weeks were allotted for the airline to respond.
‘Number of flights diverted’ :
Three separate incidents involving SpiceJet aircraft occurred on the same day: a Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a broken fuel gauge; a Kandla-Mumbai flight made a priority landing in Mumbai after cracks appeared in its windshield mid-flight; and a freighter aircraft bound for Chongqing in China was diverted back to Kolkata after the pilots discovered that the weather radar was not functioning.
On July 25, SpiceJet responded to the show-cause notice. It has been determined that SpiceJet is taking action to stop the trend of incidents once the matter has been assessed at the proper level. However, the airline must continue to make these efforts to provide a safe and dependable air transportation service, according to the DGCA’s directive.
image credit : plane pics
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