SpiceJet sees another technical glitch after flight to Dubai

By Anurag Kotoky and Siddharth Philip

SpiceJet Ltd, already under scrutiny from regulators, had another technical issue after a flight to Dubai, according to people familiar with the matter.

The plane, an eight-year-old Boeing Co. 737 next generation jet, had flown from India to Dubai on Monday and after landing was discovered to have a technical issue with its nose wheel, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information.

The incident wasn’t life threatening and all passengers and crew safely disembarked, the people said.

SpiceJet, in a statement to Bloomberg News, denied there was any incident or safety scare and put the subsequent delay out of Dubai down to a last-minute technical issue.

Read | Flyers start to shun SpiceJet after safety lapses

“On July 11, SpiceJet flight SG23 operating from Dubai to Madurai was delayed due to a last-minute technical issue,” the carrier said. “An alternate aircraft has been arranged to operate the flight, which will depart at 6:35 pm (local time) from Dubai. Flight delays can happen with any airline. There has been no incident or a safety scare on this flight.”

A representative for India’s aviation ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pressure is mounting on SpiceJet after the airline was earlier this month given three weeks by India’s aviation regulator to explain why action shouldn’t be taken against it after a series of other incidents, including one where a Boeing 737 Max plane was diverted to Karachi due to an indicator light malfunction.

The lapses have prompted some passengers to avoid flying with the cash-strapped carrier, according to a survey of more than 21,000 fliers conducted by LocalCircle. SpiceJet said in response to that survey that its flights are “absolutely safe, and the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft is paramount to us.”