The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which oversees aviation, issued a show cause notice to low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday stating that the airline has failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable.
The DGCA asked SpiceJet to explain why action should not be taken against them and asked for a response within three weeks.
“Reported incidents on aircraft operated by M/s Spicejet Ltd. from April 1, 2022 to date have been reviewed and it has been observed that on a number of occasions the aircraft either returned to its originating station or continued to land towards the destination with margins of degraded security,” the notice reads.
Sharing the opinion on his official Twitter account, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said passenger safety is paramount.
“Even the smallest error hampering security will be thoroughly investigated and corrected,” he added.
Read also: SpiceJet cargo plane bound for China returned to Kolkata due to faulty weather radar
In its advisory, the DGCA said its review found that poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions (as most incidents are related to component failure or system-related failure) resulted in deterioration of safety margins.
The aviation regulator further stated that the financial assessment carried out by the DGCA in September 2021 also revealed that the airline operates on “Cash and Carry” and that approved suppliers/vendors are not paid regularly, which which leads to a shortage of spare parts and frequent invocation of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL).
A cash and carry status implies financial stress for the airline. The cash and carry format entails that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) credit facility has been withdrawn as SpiceJet has been unable to settle the dues and has to pay the AAI on a daily basis. use of the airport in order to continue its operations.
“From the above, it can be inferred that M/s Spicejet Ltd. has failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services under Rule 134 and Schedule XI of the Aviation Rules, 1937. Now, therefore, the Responsible Manager of M/s Spicejet Ltd., is hereby requested to substantiate within 3 weeks of receipt of this notice why action should not be taken against the airline If no response is received within the time limit, the matter will be dealt with ex parte,” the DGCA notice concluded.
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