DGCA lifts SpiceJet off surveillance list over improved financial posture
The airline had been under additional scrutiny due to financial issues and flight cancellations.
The airline had been under additional scrutiny due to financial issues and flight cancellations.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday asked operators of Boeing 737 aircraft with a specific rudder part to not use the planes for low-visibility landings.
In addition to this, penalties of Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh were imposed on the director of operations and the director of training at Air India, respectively.
Notably, Air India’s Delhi-San Francisco flight was delayed for more than 20 hours due to a technical issue with the aircraft. AI 183, which was to depart from Delhi at 1530 IST on May 30, has been rescheduled and will now take off at 1500 IST on May 31.
Notably, it is the slowest Y-o-Y growth in domestic air passenger traffic in at least 13 months.
Earlier, on Friday night, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said officials concerned of the DGCA have been directed to look into this and furnish a report at the earliest.
A senior DGCA official said that SpiceJet can operate at full capacity from October 30 onwards. During the 'Enhanced surveillance' period, SpiceJet has shown improvement in their operations, said an official. On September 21, DGCA had extended flight capacity restrictions on SpiceJet till October 29.
The decision took place in response to an incident that happened on May 1 in which a flight from Mumbai to Durgapur encountered severe turbulence during landing. The severe turbulence had caused injuries to nearly 14 passengers along with three crew members.
"It has come to the notice of this office that various airlines are denying boarding to passengers holding confirmed tickets on a flight, although they have presented themselves for boarding within the time specified by the airline. This practice is extremely unfair to the passengers and brings a bad name to the aviation industry,"
The DGCA DG has advised the team to thoroughly examine cabins, cockpits, and the passenger area of aircrafts to check for potential safety issues including loose fittings on aircraft seats, food trays, windows, and lavatories.
