Summary
- A SpiceJet aircraft caught fire at Delhi Airport. Video of the incident shows intense flames and smoke, but no injuries were reported.
- SpiceJet operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 737s and Dash 8-Q400s. It currently has 62 planes, including 17 Dash 8s, that are used for regional routes across India.
- Earlier this month, SpiceJet was under enhanced surveillance by the Indian aviation regulator, but that has now been removed.
A SpiceJet aircraft was seen engulfed in flames at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday as certainly one of its engines caught fire. The incident was caught on camera and looked pretty intense. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Dash 8 engine catches fire
On May twenty fifth, a bit of a SpiceJet Dash 8-Q400 aircraft was seen engulfed in flames at Delhi Airport (DEL). The aircraft was parked in a bay on the airport’s Terminal 1, and its no 1 engine was seen on fire.
A video of the incident is doing the rounds on social media, clearly showing the intensity of the fireplace and resulting smoke. The hearth was eventually put out, however the extent of the damage to the plane will not be yet known. A spokesperson of SpiceJet was quoted as saying,
Fleet
SpiceJet operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 737 and Dash 8-Q400 propeller aircraft. Per ch-aviation, it currently has 62 airplanes, of which two are wet-leased Airbus A340s for Hajj operations. While the 737s make up the majority of its fleet, it also has 17 Dash 8s, of which 17 are inactive.
Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock
SpiceJet uses its Dash 8 aircraft for several regional routes all across India, lots of that are a part of the Indian Government’s regional flying scheme called UDAN. The airline is within the strategy of inducting more airplanes later this yr because it attempts to regain lost ground.
Enhanced surveillance removed
Earlier this month, it was reported that SpiceJet was placed under enhanced surveillance by the Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The aviation watchdog said that this was done in view of the observations made up to now concerning inadequate maintenance and in view of the incidents through the monsoon season last yr.
Photo: Media_works | Shutterstock
The DGCA performed 51 spot checks across greater than 10 locations within the country. A complete of 23 aircraft were inspected across SpiceJet’s fleet of Boeing 737s and Dash 8s, and 95 observations were made by the regulator. Following its inspection, the DGCA commented,
Here’s hoping SpiceJet stays out of trouble and doesn’t require such surveillance in the longer term.
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