SpiceJet cargo flight to China returns to Kolkata, 3rd such incident in 24 hours

New Delhi, July 06: China-bound SpiceJet cargo plane returned to Kolkata on Tuesday as the pilots realised after take off that its weather radar was not working. This is the third such incident in the last 24 hours.

"On July 5, 2022, SpiceJet Boeing 737 freighter was scheduled to operate from Kolkata to Chongqing. After take-off, the weather radar was not showing the weather. The PIC (pilot-in-command) decided to return to Kolkata. The aircraft landed safely at Kolkata," SpiceJet spokesperson told PTI on Wednesday.

On Tuesday itself, the airline's Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator and its Kandla-Mumbai flight did priority landing in Maharashtra's capital city after cracks developed on its windshield mid-air.

Another SpiceJet's Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi as the fuel indicator started malfunctioning.

The Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which was heading from Delhi to Dubai, started showing unusual fuel quantity reduction from its left tank when it was mid-air. Therefore, the plane was diverted to Karachi.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) has issued show cause notice to SpiceJet over series of mid-air incidents and sought for written explanation.

The Indian regulator said that SpiceJet has failed to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services under Aircraft Rules, 1937.

"The review (of incidents) transpires that poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions (as most of the incidents are related to either component failure or system related failure) have resulted in degradation of the safety margins," the notice stated.

The DGCA has given SpiceJet three weeks to respond to the notice.