Aviation regulator begins probe as Delhi-Dubai SpiceJet flight lands in Karachi
A SpiceJet plane, which took off from Delhi and was headed to Dubai, landed in Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday. All passengers aboard are safe.
The SpiceJet SG-11 flight had to make an unscheduled landing due to a technical fault. This comes just days after another flight of the airline (SG-2962) – flying from Delhi to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh – had to return to the airport minutes after take-off as the crew noticed smoke in the cabin.
“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,” read a statement from a spokesperson.
“No emergency was declared and the aircraft made a normal landing. There was no earlier report of any malfunction with the aircraft. Passengers have been served refreshments. A replacement aircraft is being sent to Karachi that will take the passengers to Dubai,” it added.
On Saturday, the Delhi-Jabalpur flight made an emergency landing as smoke in the cabin triggered panic. All this happened when the plane was flying at 5,000 feet.
“While passing 5,000 ft, the crew noticed smoke in the cabin. The pilots decided to return to Delhi. Aircraft landed safely at Delhi and passengers were safely disembarked,” a SpiceJet spokesperson said.
“The aircraft, DASH8 Q400, registered as VT-SUR, was involved in air turnback due to smoke in cabin,” a Directorate General of Civil Aviation official underlined. “While climbing passing 5,000ft, the crew noticed smoke in the cabin along with the lavatory smoke alarm sound. Cabin crew informed the cockpit crew of mild smoke in the cabin, but on visual check, no sign of smoke or damage was observed in the lavatory,” the official added.
Tuesday’s unscheduled landing led to a deluge of reactions on social media as users questioned the brands.
Not just SpiceJet, IndiGo too has been in the headlines due to flight issues. On Sunday, it was asked by the aviation regulator to submit a reply over delays in flights. According to the aviation ministry’s website, 45.5% of the airline’s flights took off on time on Saturday and flight operations remained affected on Sunday too.