PremiumListen to this article |
In an eventful day for the budget airlines, two Indian carriers, SpiceJet and Go First faced a technical snag on Tuesday. SpiceJet which has been facing a tough had another forgetful day as it witnessed two of its flights being forced to land due to a technical snag. Since June 19, there have been seven incidents involving SpiceJet planes. Fuselage door warnings lit up on two separate planes while taking off on June 24 and June 25, forcing them to abandon their journeys and return.
What is a technical snag?
Technical snag (defect) means a condition existing in an aircraft (including its systems) or aircraft component arising from any cause other than damage, which would preclude it or another aircraft component from performing their intended functions or would reduce the expected service life of the aircraft or the aircraft component.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has regulations and procedures for monitoring snags encountered during aircraft operations. These include analysing engineering statistical reports and advising the aircraft operators to take corrective actions if there is any adverse trend and conducting spot checks.
SpiceJet Delhi-Dubai flight (SG-11): What happened
On July 5, 2022, SpiceJet B737 aircraft operating flight SG-11 (Delhi-Dubai) was diverted to Karachi due to an indicator light malfunctioning. The aircraft landed safely at Karachi and passengers were safely disembarked. Since June 19, there have been seven incidents on SpiceJet planes.
"On July 5, 2022, M/s SpiceJet B737-8 Max aircraft VT-MXG while operating flight SG-011, Delhi - Dubai, the crew observed unusual fuel quantity reduction from the left tank. They carried out a relevant non-normal checklist, however fuel quantity kept on decreasing. PIC decided to divert the aircraft to Karachi (KHI). Aircraft diverted in coordination with ATC and landed safely at KHI," said DGCA statement.
SpiceJet Kandla-Mumbai flight (SG 3324): What happened
The Kandla-Mumbai flight of SpiceJet was at 23,000 feet altitude when the windshield's outer pane cracked. SpiceJet said, "On 5th July, 2022, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was operating SG 3324 (Kandla - Mumbai). During cruise at FL230, P2 side windshield outer pane cracked. Pressurization was observed to be normal. The aircraft landed safely in Mumbai."
Go First Delhi-Patna flight (G8-131): What happened
Another budget airline Go First had reported a technical snag when its Patna bound flight from Delhi returned back to the national capital after it reported a technical snag. The passengers of the flight were later transferred to another airline who were uthen taken to Patna.