Technical snag delays SpiceJet flight again; 9th incident in 24 days

SpiceJet’s Dubai-Madurai flight was delayed on Monday after the nose wheel of the Boeing B737 Max aircraft malfunctioned, marking the ninth such incident in 24 days.

On July 6, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a show-cause notice to the airlines after it repeated eight incidents since June 19 where flights were affected due to malfunctioning of aircraft.

The aviation regulator said that the budget carrier had “failed” to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services.

Also read: SpiceJet failed to establish safe service, says DGCA, issues 3-week notice

On Monday, the Boeing B737 Max aircraft with registration number VT-SZK operated the Mangaluru-Dubai flight, DGCA officials said.

After the aircraft landed, an engineer did a walk around inspection and found the nose wheel strut was compressed more than usual, they said.

The engineer therefore decided to ground the aircraft, the officials noted.

The airline sent another aircraft from Mumbai to Dubai to operate the return Dubai-Madurai flight.

Asked about the matter, a SpiceJet spokesperson said, “On July 11, 2022, SpiceJet flight SG23 operating from Dubai to Madurai was delayed due to a last minute technical issue. Alternate aircraft was arranged immediately which brought passengers back to India.”  “Flight delays can happen with any airline. There has been no incident or a safety scare on this flight,” the spokesperson added.

Occupancy remains high

Interestingly, despite the alarming spate of aircraft malfunctioning, the airlines has managed to maintain a handsome occupancy rate in July. According to a statement issues by SpiceJet, its occupancy rate, also called passenger load factor (PLF), was above 80 per cent between July 1 and July 11.

 Also read: SpiceJet freighter returns to Kolkata due to flaw in weather radar

“I am grateful for the faith and trust that our passengers have shown,” Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, said in the statement.

“The numbers speak for themselves and are a testimony to the fact that SpiceJet is and has been the most loved airline in India,” he added.

The PLFs of other airlines have been around 70-80 per cent between July 1 and July 11, aviation industry sources said.

 Also read: SpiceJet flight diverted to Karachi after fuel indicator malfunction

SpiceJet’s statement said: “The airlines’ load factor for the last eleven days continues to be extremely impressive with a PLF of 83.1 per cent on July 1, 88.2 per cent on July 2, 90.1 per cent on July 3, 86.5 per cent on July 4, 86.2 per cent on July 5, 85.8 per cent on July 6, 84.1 per cent on July 7, 84.2 per cent on July 8, 86.6 per cent on July 9, 85.1 per cent on July 10 and 81.3 per cent on July 11.”