Monday's incident was at least the ninth incident of technical malfunction in a SpiceJet aircraft in 24 days. On Monday, the Boeing B737 Max aircraft with registration number VT-SZK operated the Madurai-Dubai flight, DGCA officials noted. After the aircraft landed, an engineer did a walk around inspection and found the nose wheel strut was compressed more than usual, they said.
The engineer therefore decided to ground the aircraft, the officials noted.
The airline sent another aircraft from Mumbai to Dubai to operate the return Dubai-Madurai flight, they stated.
Asked about the matter, a SpiceJet spokesperson said, "On July 11, 2022, SpiceJet flight SG23 operating from Dubai to Madurai was delayed due to a last minute technical issue. Alternate aircraft was arranged immediately which brought passengers back to India."
"Flight delays can happen with any airline. There has been no incident or a safety scare on this flight," the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, the airline has received a show-cause notice from the Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week. The DGCA has already said that SpiceJet has failed to establish safe, efficient, and reliable air services under Aircraft Rules, 1937.
DGCA had sent a show-cause notice to SpiceJet following eight incidents of technical malfunction in its aircraft since 19 June. The aviation regulator said the budget carrier had "failed" to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services.
The DGCA has asked SpiceJet to file a reply within 3 weeks as to why action shouldn't be taken against them. This comes especially after a Boeing 737 Max plane was diverted to Karachi due to an indicator light malfunction. The aviation regulator has also imposed ₹10 lakh fine on SpiceJet for training 737 Max aircraft's pilots on a faulty simulator.
Amid cases of technical issues, SpiceJet airline's Managing Director Ajay Singh on 11 July was booked in Gurugram for allegedly duping a businessman worth crores of rupees on the pretext of allotting him company shares. The complainant -- Amit Arora -- has claimed that Singh has defrauded others in a similar manner. On Tuesday, 12 July, the airlines company said the complaint of alleged fraud filed by an individual against airline's Chairman Ajay Singh was "completely bogus" and a defamation suit will be filed against the complainant.
The lapses have prompted some passengers to avoid flying with the cash-strapped carrier. A survey conducted by LocalCircles of more than 21,000 fliers, showed that 44% of fliers are currently steering clear of India’s third-biggest airline due to safety concerns.
