Media report claims DGCA carried out surprise check on SpiceJet flight; airline denies it

On Saturday, a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Srinagar was delayed for six hours after a surprise inspection by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation watchdog found some problems, forcing the airline to arrange for a different jet for the service, reported Hindustan Times.

This came as the low-cost airline is coming under critical scrutiny following a spate of incidents which have earned it a warning notice from the DGCA last week.

On Sunday, just a day after the DGCA's inspection, the outer windshield pane of another SpiceJet aircraft cracked minutes after its departure from Chennai.

SpiceJet refutes report

SpiceJet on Monday refuted reports claiming the windshield of an aircraft cracked minutes after its departure from Chennai and another flight was delayed by six hours after a surprise inspection called by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Spicejet spokesperson said that there has been no surprise audit by DGCA in the last few days. If and when there is a DGCA inspection, the airline would be informed in advance, the spokesperson said.

On July 9 media reports, he said the Mumbai-Srinagar flight was not grounded by DGCA.

"No incident of windshield crack was reported on SpiceJet's Chennai-Shirdi flight on Sunday as has been reported by a section of the media. The news item is strongly denied by SpiceJet," he said.

SpiceJet draws DGCA's attention

Last week, on Tuesday, the DGCA issued a showcause notice to SpiceJet on Tuesday amid a rising number of air safety incidents witnessed by the low-cost airline.

On that Tuesday alone, at least three incidents involving SpiceJet aircraft were reported.

First, a Boeing 737 Max aircraft flying Delhi-Dubai sector made an unplanned landing in Karachi, Pakistan, because of a malfunctioning indicator light in the cockpit.

Second, a Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 plane from Kandla to Mumbai made a priority landing in Mumbai after the outer pane of one of its windshields cracked.

Third, a Boeing 737 freighter aircraft that took off from Kolkata turned back due to an unserviceable weather radar.

The aviation safety regulator, in its notice, mentioned that the various incidents from April 1 this year till date have been reviewed, and it was found that “poor internal safety oversight” and “inadequate maintenance actions” has resulted in degradation of safety margins.

In the showcause notice, the DGCA has also flagged the airline’s financial condition that has led to shortage of spare parts. “…financial assessment carried out by DGCA in September 2021 has also revealed that airline is operating on Cash & Carry and Suppliers/Approved Vendors are not being paid on regular basis leading to shortage of spares…,” the regulator wrote in its notice.