SpiceJet Flights Reduced by 50% by Regulator, but Airline Says It Won’t Affect Operations

Following an unusually high number of safety incidents involving the airline, the aviation regulator today ordered low-cost carrier SpiceJet to operate only 50% of its flights for eight weeks. In the slow travel season, SpiceJet claimed that this would not affect its flights and that no flights would be canceled.

“In view of findings of various spot checks, inspections and the reply to the show cause notice submitted by SpiceJet, for continued sustenance of safe and reliable air transport service, the number of departures of SpiceJet are restricted to 50 percent of the number of departures approved… for a period of eight weeks,” said the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in an order.

The airline would be under “increased observation” by the DGCA for these eight weeks. This could be the harshest punishment a recent airline has received.

According to the directive, the airline must “demonstrate to the satisfaction of DGCA that it has sufficient technical support and financial resource to safely and efficiently accomplish such additional capacity” before it may boost its departure rate by more than 50%.

SpiceJet “failed to establish a safe, efficient, and reliable air transport service,” according to the regulator. The decision emphasised that although the airline is taking steps to reverse the trend, it must continue to work toward providing a trustworthy and safe air transportation service.

SpiceJet responded by stating that as flights had previously been rescheduled during the slow travel season, there would be no cancellations as a result of the decision. After eight documented flight safety problems in the span of 18 days, the authorities issued a warning to SpiceJet.

In one instance, a plane departing from Kandla in Gujarat made a priority landing in Mumbai after experiencing a fracture in its windshield mid-flight.

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