DGCA show cause notice to SpiceJet following spate of aircraft incidents

Three incidents on Tuesday alone; airline is operating on cash-and-carry basis and vendors aren't being paid regularly, leading to shortage of spares and frequent invocation of minimum equipment list

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued a show cause notice to SpiceJet for poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions.

The civil aviation regulator issued the show cause notice on Wednesday following a spate of incidents. On Tuesday alone there were three incidents including a diversion to Karachi, windshield crack and an air turn back (aircraft returning to departing station) because of a faulty weather radar.

The regulator which reviewed occurrences since April 1 said in its notice that SpiceJet has “failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services” as per norms and has been asked to explain in three weeks why no action should be taken against it.

“It has been observed that at number of occasions the aircraft either turned back to its originating station or continued landing at the destination with degraded safety margins….the review transpires that poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions has resulted in degradation of safety margins,” DGCA said in its show cause notice.

A financial assessment carried out by the DGCA last September had revealed that the airline is operating on cash-and-carry basis, and suppliers and approved vendors are not being paid on regular basis, leading to shortage of spares and frequent invocation of minimum equipment list (MEL). Airlines are allowed to operate flights with certain inoperative equipment under the regulator approved MEL.