‘SpiceJet was sent notice for poor safety oversight’

Minister of state for civil aviation VK Singh said DGCA’s July 27 order last year restricted the number of SpiceJet’s departures to 50% of those approved under the summer scheduled 2022

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a notice to SpiceJet for “poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance” that resulted in “degradation of safety margins”, junior aviation minister VK Singh said in a written reply in Parliament on Monday.

A series of air safety incidents from May 1 and July 6 last year promoted the restriction. (HT PHOTO)

He added that the civil aviation regulator last year restricted the airline’s departures to 50% of those approved under the summer schedule for weeks.

SpiceJet was involved in a string of flight safety incidents last year, prompting the DGCA to put the carrier under enhanced surveillance comprising audits and safety checks. Its services were capped at half its approved schedule on July 27 last year, and the restrictions were then extended twice, first till September 21 and then till October 29.

Singh was responding to a series of questions by Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi on safety protocol lapses by private airlines, especially SpiceJet, in recent months when he made the statements.

Chaturvedi sought to know whether the government was aware of repeated violations of safety and emergency guidelines by certain airlines, including SpiceJet, and whether the DGCA intends to reinstate the 50% cap on the airline.

“DGCA has issued notice to M/s SpiceJet stating that, ‘poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions has resulted in degradation of the safety margins’. Subsequently, DGCA vide its order dated 27.07.2022, restricted the number of departures of M/s Spice Jet to 50% of the number of departure approved under summer scheduled 2022 for a period of 8 weeks from the date of issue which was further extended upto 29.10.2022,” he said.

“On the basis of the review of safety performance of M/s SpiceJet, the order imposing cap of 50% of the number of scheduled departures of SpiceJet approved under the summer schedule 2022 was not extended beyond 29.10.2022,” he added.