SpiceJet, confident of scaling up, says all flight operations normal
Premium‘We are confident of scaling up our operations and addressing any concern that the regulator may have, on priority,’ SpiceJet said on August 1.
After receiving a directive from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordering SpiceJet to reduce its approved fleet by 50 percent this summer for eight weeks due to safety concerns, the budget carrier declared on August 1 that flight operations were continuing as planned and normally.
The aviation watchdog declared on July 27 that any increase in departures above 50 percent would need the airline to prove it has the financial and technical resources necessary to increase its capacity safely. The airline has recently been in the news due to a number of mishaps on its flights, and one of its lessors in Dubai has requested that three of SpiceJet's aircraft be deregistered.
"We are confident of scaling up our operations and addressing any concern that the regulator may have, on priority," the airline said on Monday.
On July 30 and 31, the load factor—a gauge of how much of an airline's passenger carrying capacity has been utilised—was greater than 80 percent, the airline reported in a statement. Shares of the airline, which have fallen 41.6 percent so far this year while bigger rival InterGlobe Aviation has fallen 6.9 percent, increased 6.5 percent as a result of the announcement.
Arun Kumar, the head of the DGCA, stated on July 31 that technical difficulties encountered by domestic airlines in recent weeks did not have the capacity to cause major disruptions and that even foreign airlines that flew into India recorded 15 difficulties in the previous 16 days.
According to him, the nation's civil aviation space is "absolutely safe" and adheres to all rules set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
In light of the recent string of technical difficulties faced by Indian airlines and the DGCA's decision to stop SpiceJet's operations, Kumar emphasised that there is no need for concern because none of the incidents that have been published or discussed have the potential to cause mayhem.
(With agency inputs)
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