SpiceJet under increased scrutiny of Indian aviation authorities; flights cut by 50% during eight weeks

Indian’s civil aviation authority DGCA has issued a drastic warning against Indian budget airline SpiceJet: during the next eight weeks, the airline may only operate half of its scheduled flights. The aviation authority cites several incidents between 1 April and 5 July. 

On a number of occasions, the airline was forced to turn back to the airport of departure or they continued to the airport of destination with degraded safety margins. The aviation authority questions the internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions.

Furthermore, DGCA said that several suppliers and vendors were not paid on a regular basis leading to a shortage of spare parts and the frequent use of aircraft’s minimum equipment list (MEL: a categorized list of on-board systems, instruments and equipment that may be inoperative for flight in a specified aircraft model.)

During the coming eight weeks, SpiceJet will be subject to enhanced surveillance by DGCA.