Nashik-bound SpiceJet flight returns to Delhi due to ‘autopilot’ snag

A Nashik-bound SpiceJet flight returned to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday morning due to an ‘autopilot’ snag the plane encountered midway, an official said.

SpiceJet flight SG-8363 took off from Delhi at 6.54am and returned after an hour of its departure time. The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely and the passengers were being shifted to a smaller Q400 aircraft.

“SpiceJet B737 aircraft VT-SLP, operating flight SG-8363 (Delhi-Nashik) on Thursday was involved in an air turnback due to an autopilot snag,” PTI quoted a DGCA official as saying.

SpiceJet aircraft have been involved in a series of incidents following which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to the airline.

In July, the aviation watchdog said that SpiceJet has failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services and asked the airline to explain why action should not be taken against them. It later ordered the airline to operate a maximum of 50 per cent of its flights, which were approved for the summer schedule, for eight weeks.

“In view of the findings of various spot checks, inspections and the reply to the show cause notice submitted by SpiceJet, for continued sustenance of safe and reliable transport service, the number of departures of SpiceJet are hereby restricted to 50 per cent of the number of departures approved under summer schedule 2022 for a period of 8 weeks,” DGCA’s order said.

On Wednesday, the airline reported a widening of net loss to ₹789 crore in the June quarter.