DGCA notice to SpiceJet over safety amid snags

The show-cause notice by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) comes after a spate of air safety incidents reported by SpiceJet flights.

India’s aviation regulator issued a warning notice to SpiceJet, saying the budget carrier had failed to establish its services were safe, efficient and reliable and citing a review from last year that found “poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions” by the airline.

(REUTERS)

The show-cause notice by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) comes after a spate of air safety incidents reported by SpiceJet flights. A review found several incidents since April 1 in which “the aircraft either turned back to its originating station or continued landing to the destination with degraded safety margins”, the DGCA said, asking the airline to explain why action should not be taken against it.

“Even the smallest error hindering safety will be thoroughly investigated and course-corrected,” the civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a tweet.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said the company was in receipt of the DGCA notice and will respond within the time it has been given. “We are committed to ensuring a safe operation for our passengers and crew,” he added.

Since May 1, there have been at least nine air safety incidents reported from flights operated by the airline. The latest of these was on Tuesday when pilots of a SpiceJet freighter plane to Chongking returned to Kolkata after the weather radar was found malfunctioning.

Earlier on the same day, the airline’s Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator and its Kandla-Mumbai flight made a priority landing in Maharashtra’s capital after cracks developed on its windshield mid-air.

On July 2, a SpiceJet flight heading to Jabalpur returned to Delhi after the crew members observed smoke in the cabin at around 5,000 feet altitude.

In an interview to PTI on Wednesday, SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh said the company will be “doubly careful” and strengthen inspection of aircraft before the operation of their flights.

Singh also said none of the incidents in the last few weeks had anything to do with shortage of spare parts.

The DGCA in its notice said that its review found poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions (as most of the incidents are related to either component failure or system related failure).

A financial assessment it carried in September, 2021 also revealed that the airline was operating on ‘Cash and Carry’ and suppliers/ approved vendors were not being paid on a regular basis, leading to shortage of spares and frequent invoking of minimum equipment list (MEL).

A cash-and-carry status implies an airline is under stress and credit facilities to it have been withdrawn. A similar arrangement was now in place for the credit facility by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which withdrew credit privileges over pending dues, the DGCA order said.

“From the above it may be deduced that SpiceJet Ltd. has failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services under terms of Rule 134 and Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. Now, therefore, the Accountable Manager of M/s SpiceJet Ltd., is hereby called upon to Show Cause within 3 weeks of receipt of this Notice as to why action should not be taken against the airline. In case no reply is received within the stipulated period, the matter will be proceeded ex-parte.,” DGCA’s notice concluded.

Singh, in his comments to PTI, denied problems with spare vendors. “All vendors that are relevant to anything related to safety or spare parts are always paid or settlements are reached with them. There is no failure here.” Singh said

The SpiceJet spokesperson said the company conforms to certifications of international agencies. “We are an IATA-IOSA certified airline. SpiceJet successfully completed the meticulous audit program for recertification in October 2021. We have been regularly audited by DGCA. All our aircraft were audited a month ago by the regulator and found to be safe. All flights of SpiceJet are conducted in compliance with the applicable regulations of the DGCA Civil Aviation Regulations on the subject,” the SpiceJet spokesperson said.

Officials aware of the matter said there are dozens of incidents with all airlines daily, but they usually hold a safety implication. “On an average about 30 incidents take place daily, which includes go around, missed approaches, diversion, medical emergencies, weather, technical, bird hits et al,” the official added, asking not to be named.

On Tuesday, for instance, a Vistara flight had issues. After landing on runway 10 at Delhi, one of its engines malfunctioned and had to be shut down. “After landing in Delhi on Tuesday, while taxiing to the parking bay, Vistara flight UK122 that took off from Bangkok had a minor electrical malfunction. Keeping passenger safety and comfort in mind, the crew elected to tow the aircraft to the bay,” a Vistara spokesperson said.

Experts said the incidents need a deeper look. “If an airline is experiencing a series of incidents, just ordering probes is not going to help. These incidents point out poor aircraft maintenance which should be the regulator’s major concern. The DGCA should act strictly,” aviation safety expert Mohan Ranganathan said.