After SpiceJet, Vistara's Bangkok-Delhi flight reports malfunction

New Delhi :  A Delhi-bound Vistara flight from Bangkok landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday on a single-engine following an ‘electrical malfunction.’

According to sources, the A320 Aircraft VT-TNJ was operating as flight UK-122 (BKK-DEL) on Tuesday. The flight was uneventful and landed on runway 10 at Delhi airport. Post runway vacation Engine 2 was shut down for single-engine taxiing. The Air traffic control (ATC) was informed and a tow truck was requested. Subsequently, the aircraft was towed to the parking bay. The matter was reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The plane was towed from the taxi bay to the parking bay.

“After landing in Delhi, while taxiing to the parking bay, our flight UK122 (BKK-DEL) had a minor electrical malfunction on July 5, 2022. Keeping passenger safety and comfort in mind the crew elected to tow the aircraft to the bay,” said Vistara spokesperson.

Tuesday had been an uneventful day for the aviation industry in India.

A Dubai-bound SpiceJet flight from Delhi was diverted to Karachi in Pakistan on Tuesday as the fuel indicator started malfunctioning.

More than 150 passengers were onboard the SpiceJet flight (Delhi-Dubai) that made an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan after developing a technical fault.

Following this, the DGCA ordered a probe into the incident.

“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 said the flight was diverted when it was on the way to Dubai and flying on 5000 ft.

Another aircraft of India’s low-cost carrier SpiceJet reported a glitch in its Kandla – Mumbai flight on Tuesday. This is the second incident involving the airline on Tuesday.

Earlier on Saturday, a domestic flight made an emergency landing after its cabin filled with smoke soon after take-off for the central city of Jabalpur, the airline said.

A senior DGCA official said that they are investigating all six incidents on SpiceJet aircraft reported in the last 17 days. On June 19, two incidents were reported in two separate flights of SpiceJet. First, a Delhi-bound flight carrying over 185 passengers caught fire soon after take-off from Patna airport and had to make an emergency landing. The airline said a bird hit that had damaged their fan blades.

In another incident on the same day, the SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 plane from Delhi to Jabalpur made an emergency landing in Delhi as the cabin pressure couldn’t be built up as the plane gained altitude.

Meanwhile, India’s aviation regulatory body DGCA has issued show-cause notice to India’s low-cost carrier SpiceJet over failure to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services.

“Spicejet Ltd. has failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services under terms of Rule 134 and Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules, 1937,” DGCA said.

As per the recent incident with SpiceJet, two of its planes were forced to make a priority landing after a technical snag developed on Tuesday.

In the last 17 days, there have been seven such incidents, including two new ones, on SpiceJet flights.

“The reported incidents on aircraft operated by Spicejet Ltd. from April 1, 2022, till date have been reviewed and it has been observed that on a number of occasions, the aircraft either turned back to its originating station or continued landing to the destination with degraded safety margins,” DGCA’s show cause notice reads.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday showed his concerns over recent incidents related to SpiceJet and said, “Passenger safety is paramount. Even the smallest error hindering safety will be thoroughly investigated and course-corrected.”

Whereas, the review transpires that poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions, “as most of the incidents are related to either component failure or system related failure) has resulted in degradation of the safety margins,” DGCA said.