DGCA places Spicejet airline under 'enhanced surveillance' with immediate effect

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Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has placed Spicejet under 'enhanced surveillance' with immediate effect.

A senior DGCA official said that based on reports of flight cancellations and financial stress regarding Spicejet came to light, a special audit of the airlines' engineering facilities was conducted on August 7 and 8, which has revealed certain deficiencies.

Following a series of occurrences reported on the Spicejet fleet in 2022, a special drive of spot checks was undertaken, during which the airline was permitted to release aircraft for operations only after confirming to the aviation safety regulator that all the reported defects and malfunctions had been rectified.

Last year, too, after reports of the airline being under financial stress came to light, it was placed under enhanced surveillance.

In light of the past record and the special audit carried out in August this year, Spicejet has once again been placed under enhanced surveillance with immediate effect. This would entail an increase in the number of spot checks and night surveillance to ensure the safety of operations.

According to reports, on Thursday, the airline's passengers had been barred from checking-in for their flights at Dubai airport over delayed payments.

Clarifying on the incident, the airline spokesperson had said, "Due to operational reasons, a few SpiceJet flights from Dubai were cancelled. Affected passengers have been accommodated on subsequent SpiceJet flights, on other airlines or provided with a full refund. All our scheduled flights from Dubai are now operating as planned."

On August 16, passengers aboard SpiceJet flight SG 115 bound for Darbhanga in Bihar were left stranded at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for nearly eight hours. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 7.45 am, was first delayed owing to a technical issue and later cancelled around 2 pm, leaving passengers in a state of distress and confusion.

In February, passengers of SpiceJet flight SG 386 from Ayodhya to Mumbai were left stranded at the airport in Uttar Pradesh for more than eight hours over a delay, sparking frustration. The flight, which was scheduled to depart at 11.15 am on February 27, was rescheduled for 7.30 pm. The flight eventually departed at 8.15 pm. Many passengers expressed frustration at the lack of information and while some complained that adequate arrangements for meals had not been made, leaving them hungry during the waiting period. The passengers called for better coordination and transparency from airlines in such situations.

(With ANI inputs)