21 Aircraft Carrying 2,000 Passengers Faced Mid-Air Scare This Year, SpiceJet Tops List
The frequency of 'safety incidents' on SpiceJet flights have become a cause for concern. Of the 21 air safety incidents this year, 12 were reported on SpiceJet flights.
It has been a tubulent period for budget airlines in terms of air safety this year. Till July 5, 2022, 21 aircraft carrying around 2,000 people faced mid-air problems like technical glitch, cabin pressure issues and windshield cracks. In fact, 10 such incidents of technical malfunction have been reported in the past 30 days alone.
Of the 21 air safety incidents this year, 12 were reported on SpiceJet flights, three on IndiGo, two on Air Asia and Air India each and one each on Vistara and Go Air. Eight incidents of technical malfunction have been reported on SpiceJet aircraft in the last 18 days alone.
According to DGCA data from 2016-2020, most flight safety incidents were recorded in 2019 at 25. 2018 saw 19 such incidents, while 2017 and 2016 reported 12 and 11 cases respectively. Only 10 safety incidents were recorded in 2020, however, it must be noted that most of the airplanes were not operational that year because of Covid-19 pandemic.
The frequency of "safety incidents" on SpiceJet flights have become a cause for concern. On Tuesday, there were three such incidents.
A SpiceJet cargo aircraft headed to Chongqing had to return to Kolkata airport after a glitch was detected in its weather radar following take off.
A Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator and SpiceJet's Kandla-Mumbai flight did priority landing in Mumbai after cracks developed on its windshield mid-air.
READ | 7 Emergency Landings In 17 Days: Spicejet Flights' Frequent Malfunctioning Big Reason To Worry
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet in connection with the degradation of safety margins of its aircraft.
In April, the aviation regulator had issued show-cause notices to SpiceJet and training organisation CSTPL for not imparting proper training to 90 pilots.
According to a DGCA report, in the month of May, SpiceJet came in second in terms of flight cancellations. The airline also topped the list of airlines whose services were the most unsatisfactory, followed by Indigo, according to a LocalCircles survey.
India Faces Pilot Shortage
Moreover, India faces a massive dearth of trained commercial pilots and reportedly needs at least 1,000 pilots per year to meet industry demands. However, only 500-800 commercial pilots graduate every year from various flying training schools in India, increasing the country's dependence on foreign pilots.
The Indian aviation industry currently has a deficit of as many as 15,800 employees for ground operations as well as 1,350 cabin crew staff.
Drunk on Duty
From January 2021 to March 2022, a total of 84 workers across 42 airports were found drunk on duty, according to DGCA. Of these 84 employees, 64 per cent failed the mandatory breath analyzer (BA) alcohol test.
Similarly, between January 1 and April 30, 2022, DGCA suspended nine pilots and 32 crew members of different airlines after they failed the pre-flight breath analyzer test.
(With Tirthesh Nandan)
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