SpiceJet controversy: A petition has been filed in Delhi High Court, demanding that all SpiceJet flights be grounded amid back-to-back malfunctions. The plea also mentioned that the flights should be stopped to avert a major incident, where there can be big loss to life and property.
SpiceJet has failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable air service, mentioned the plea. The plea filed by lawyer Rahul Bhardwaj said multiple recent incidents have occured in connection to Spicejet flights.
A plea, filed by Bhardwaj, demanded that a commission be set up to inquire into whether operations of SpiceJet are being properly managed.
SpiceJet Showcaused Earlier
Aviation regulator DGCA had earlier issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet after its aircraft were hit by eight incidents of mid-air technical malfunction over the last 18 days, saying the budget carrier has "failed" to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services.
As a DGCA review of the incidents showed that "poor" internal safety oversight and "inadequate" maintenance actions have resulted in "degradation" of the safety margins of SpiceJet, the airline's chief Ajay Singh asserted it will be "doubly careful" and strengthen inspection of aircraft before the operation of their flights. A SpiceJet statement also said it is committed to ensuring a safe operation for its passengers and crew.
The eighth incident of technical malfunction was reported on Tuesday when a SpiceJet freighter aircraft, which was heading to Chongqing in China, returned to Kolkata as the pilots realised after take-off that its weather radar was not working. On the same day, two civilian flights of the airline also suffered technical malfunction.
Reacting to the DGCA notice, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asserted that passenger safety is paramount.
Scindia holds high-level meeting over safety issues
In the wake of a string of technical malfunction incidents involving Indian carriers, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting on safety issues with senior officials of his ministry and regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday, sources said. During the meeting, the minister took a detailed report from the officials about these incidents over the last one month and told them that there should be no compromise over passengers' safety.
On Sunday, IndiGo's Sharjah-Hyderabad flight was diverted to Karachi as a precautionary measure after pilots observed a defect in one of the engines. On Saturday night, Air India Express's Calicut-Dubai flight was diverted to Muscat after a burning smell was observed in the cabin mid-air. A day earlier an alive bird was found in the cockpit of the Air India Express' Bahrain-Kochi flight.
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