On Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reduced the number of departures of the SpiceJet airlines following spot checks, inspections, and reply to show cause notice submitted by the company. The DGCA directed SpiceJet to operate up to 50 percent of its flights which have been allowed for the summer schedule, for eight weeks.
In view of findings of various spot checks, inspections & reply to show cause notice submitted by SpiceJet number of departures of SpiceJet is restricted to 50% of the number of departures approved under Summer Schedule 2022 for 8 weeks from the date of issue of this order: DGCA pic.twitter.com/nkeN4dVCBz
— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2022
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet on July 6 in response to at least eight incidences of mechanical breakdown in its aircraft since June 19. “Given the findings of various spot checks, inspections, and the reply to the show cause notice submitted by SpiceJet, for the continued sustenance of safe and reliable transport service, the number of departures of SpiceJet is hereby restricted to 50 percent of the number of departures approved under summer schedule 2022 for 8 weeks,” the aviation regulator’s order on Wednesday said.
DGCA said that while “SpiceJet is taking measures for arresting the trend of incidents, however, the airline needs to sustain these efforts for safe and reliable air transport service.” Restricting the flights to 50% of approved numbers, the regulator added that “any increase in the number of departures beyond 50% of the number of departures approved under Summer Schedule 2022, during this period, shall be subject to the airline demonstrating to the satisfaction of DGCA that it has sufficient technical support and financial resource to safely and efficiently undertake such enhanced capacity.”
During the said 8 week period that starts on July 27th, the airline will be subjected to “Enhanced Surveillance” by DGCA.
Responding to the DGCA directive, SpiceJet said that will act as per directions of the regulator. It said, “Due to the current lean travel season, SpiceJet like other airlines had already rescheduled its flight operations. Hence, there will be absolutely no impact on our flight operations”.
We want to reassure our passengers and travel partners that our flights will operate as per schedule in the coming days and weeks. There will be no flight cancellation as a consequence of this order: SpiceJet
— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2022
The airline said that there will be no cancellation of flights due to the DGCA order, and that their flights will operate as per schedule in the coming days and weeks.
This development comes a day after SpiceJet replied to the DGCA’s show cause notice issued to the company for its failure to ensure safety following a spate of mid-flight incidents. The DGCA in the statement on July 6 said that SpiceJet had failed to establish safe, efficient, and reliable air services under terms of Rule 134 and Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. The authority had asked the airline to explain why action should not be taken against it for the repeated safety issues.
“The review (of incidents) transpires that poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions (as most of the incidents are related to either component failure or system-related failure) have resulted in degradation of the safety margins,” the notice stated. At the time of the notice, SpiceJet had reportedly seen at least eight incidents and one accident since May.
On Monday, the minister of state for civil aviation, V K Singh informed that the DGA had found no major safety violations after it conducted 53 spot checks on 48 SpiceJet aircraft. Just three days after issuing the notice, the regulator had started conducting spot checks on SpiceJet planes. The spot checks were completed on July 13.
However, on July 27, the DGCA issued an interim order directing the airline to operate 50 percent of the number of departures approved under Summer Schedule 2022 for 8 weeks from the date of issue of this order
