A SpiceJet flight was forced to make an emergency landing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad after smoke was detected mid-air in the cockpit, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The SG 3735 plane was flying from Goa to Hyderabad when the pilot of the plane noticed smoke in the cockpit, minutes before its landing at the Hyderabad airport, according to reports. The DGCA has ordered a detailed probe into the incident.
The flight had reportedly taken off from the Goa airport at 9.55 PM on Wednesday and was scheduled to land at the Hyderabad Airport at 11.30 PM. It is at this time that the pilot noticed smoke and alerted the Air Traffic Controller (ATC), who then alerted the ground staff.
“The aircraft made a safe landing on Wednesday night and all 86 passengers on the flight were safe,” airport sources told IANS. However, one passenger reportedly sustained minor scratches on the feet while leaving the aircraft.
The incident is said to have caused panic among passengers and a passenger was also taken ill due to the smoke in the cabin. The emergency landing also led to several flight diversions to other cities. Six domestic flights, two international flight and one cargo flight were forced to be diverted due to the emergency landing of the SpiceJet plane.
The incident comes even as SpiceJet faces severe scrutiny over a string of safety issues in the recent months. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) were forced to step in and impose a cap of 50% on the budget airlines flights’ summer schedule.
The aviation regulator imposed the restrictions on SpiceJet flights on July 27 for a period of eight weeks after the airline reported frequent air safety incidents.
Recently, the DGCA extended the cap on SpiceJet’s operating capacity till October 29. In the order, the DGCA observed that the extension has been given on a review of the safety performance of SpiceJet. It said that the review has shown an appreciable reduction in the number of safety incidents, however, as a matter of abundant caution, the restriction imposed shall continue to be in force till the end of the Summer schedule on October 29.
(With inputs from IANS)
Read all the Latest News India and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment