SpiceJet under scrutiny: Spot checks and night surveillance amidst rising flight cancellations
PTC News Desk: SpiceJet, facing ongoing challenges, has once again come under “enhanced surveillance” by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) due to recent flight cancellations and financial difficulties. This marks the second instance in two years that the airline has been subjected to heightened regulatory scrutiny.
Earlier this month, the DGCA initiated a special audit in response to reports that SpiceJet had to cancel flights from Dubai due to non-payment of dues. The audit uncovered “certain deficiencies” in the airline’s operations. Consequently, the DGCA has imposed enhanced surveillance measures on SpiceJet, which will include increased spot checks and possible night-time audits to ensure operational safety.
According to Reuters, SpiceJet had to operate multiple empty flights from Dubai after passengers were prevented from checking in because the airline had outstanding fees that had not been settled. This incident was reportedly the second disruption of its kind this month.
A spokesperson for SpiceJet attributed these cancellations to “operational issues” and assured that affected passengers were either rebooked on subsequent flights, accommodated with other airlines, or provided with full refunds. The airline confirmed that all flights from Dubai are now operating as scheduled.
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In a related development, SpiceJet recently reached a settlement with Mumbai airport over a “minor financial matter” shortly after issuing a social media post—since deleted—that warned of potential “temporary disruptions.”
The DGCA had previously placed SpiceJet under enhanced surveillance in July of the previous year due to financial difficulties and issues with aircraft lessors seeking repossession. Despite the airline’s denial of these claims, the scrutiny highlighted broader financial and operational challenges. In 2022, following a series of safety incidents, the DGCA restricted SpiceJet to operating only 50 percent of its fleet. Audits conducted at that time led to the airline being allowed to return to full operational capacity only on October 30 of that year.
The DGCA’s earlier concerns included significant gaps in operational safety, poor internal oversight, and delays in payments to vendors, which led to shortages of spare parts for the fleet. Despite these issues, Ajay Singh, the owner of SpiceJet, maintained that the airline was “100 percent safe” and remains optimistic about its future. Singh recently announced plans to raise approximately USD 250 million in the coming months to address the airline’s financial challenges and recover from “significant black swan events.”