According to a SpiceJet spokesperson, the Goa to Hyderabad flight safely landed at its destination, and all onboard passengers disembarked without incident.
Smoke was discovered in the cockpit and cabin of a SpiceJet flight, SG 3735, travelling from Goa to Hyderabad on Wednesday. According to officials, the flight’s passengers were safely disembarked after the emergency landing.
“On October 12, smoke was noticed in the cabin of a SpiceJet Q400 aircraft (registered as VT-SQB) flying from Goa to Hyderabad. The aircraft made a safe landing at its destination. The passengers disembarked safely, according to a SpiceJet spokesperson.
According to airport officials, a full emergency was declared, and all procedures were therefore followed. The official continued, “The aircraft was later towed to the distant gate.”
He explained that in order to prepare for the emergency landing, the airline pilot first made contact with the local air traffic control (ATC), who then did so with the ground staff. According to reports, the incident caused the passengers to panic, and one female passenger became ill from the smoke and required ongoing medical care.
According to reports, this incident required the diversion of about nine flights. An airline representative, however, claimed that “No passenger was admitted or hospitalised. One of the travellers needed medical attention after suffering a minor sprain, so they were taken to the airport medical facility. She received an immediate discharge.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) placed a 50% cap on SpiceJet’s summer flight schedule in response to recent safety incidents that have brought the budget airline under fire. After SpiceJet reported a high number of air safety incidents, the aviation regulator placed the restriction on SpiceJet flights on July 27 for a period of eight weeks.
The restriction was prolonged last month by the aviation watchdog by one month, to October 29.
“The review found that the number of safety incidents has significantly decreased. However, out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with the authority granted under rule 19A of the 1937 Aircraft Rules, the competent authority has decided that the restriction as imposed in the order dated 27.07.2022 shall remain in effect until the conclusion of the summer schedule, or 29.10.2022, according to the DGCA order dated September 21.
The DGCA further clarified that any increase in departures during this time will be subject to the airline demonstrating to the regulator that it has the necessary financial and technical resources to handle this increased capacity.
The order also stated that the airline would be under increased DGCA surveillance during this time.