DGCA places Spicejet airline under enchanced surveillance

New Delhi [India], August 30 : Aviation safety regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has placed Spicejet under 'enhanced surveillance' with immediate effect.
A senior DGCA official said that based on reports of cancellation of flights and financial stress being experienced by Spicejet Airlines, a special audit of Spicejet engineering facilities was conducted on the August 7 and Auugst 8, 2024, which has revealed certain deficiencies.
Following a series of occurrences reported on the Spicejet fleet in 2022, a special drive of spot checks was undertaken during which Spicejet was permitted to release aircraft for operations only after confirming to DGCA that all reported defects/malfunctions had been rectified.
During the year 2023, based on reports of the airline being under financial stress, it was again placed under enhanced surveillance.
In light of the past record and the special audit carried out in August 2024, Spicejet has once again been placed under enhanced surveillance with immediate effect. This would entail an increase in the number of spot checks and night surveillance with a view to ensure safety of operations.
According to reports, the airline's passengers were on Thursday barred from checking-in for their flights at Dubai airport over delayed payments.
On reports of cancellation of Spicejet flights from Dubai, the airline spokesperson said, "Due to operational reasons, a few SpiceJet flights from Dubai were cancelled. Affected passengers have been accommodated on subsequent SpiceJet flights, on other airlines or provided with a full refund. All our scheduled flights from Dubai are now operating as planned."