The incident was captured on camera by passengers on a separate flight
New Delhi:
A SpiceJet plane caught fire at Delhi airport during engine maintenance tonight. Maintenance personnel are safe, the airline said in a statement, ANI news agency reported.
An airline ATR aircraft was undergoing maintenance when engineers noticed fire on one of its engines. The fire department was called to extinguish the flames.
The raging fire was caught on camera by a passenger in an airplane on the taxiway. The video showed thick smoke billowing from the plane parked at a distance.
The incident came on the day the country’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, removed SpiceJet from the enhanced oversight regime put in place following serious concerns about the airline’s safety.
Announcing its decision to remove SpiceJet from the surveillance regime, the DGCA said earlier today: “Given the observations made in the past regarding inadequate maintenance and given the incidents during the monsoon season last year, SpiceJet was placed under enhanced surveillance by DGCA. Accordingly, 51 random checks were carried out at 11 locations across India, on the Boeing 737 and Bombardier DHC Q-400 fleet of aircraft, with 23 aircraft and 95 observations were made by the DGCA teams.”
“The findings were of a routine nature and were not considered significant by the DGCA. The airline has taken appropriate maintenance measures to address the findings in accordance with DGCA guidance. As a result, SpiceJet has been removed from the enhanced surveillance regime,” it added.
The supervisor is now investigating the fire.
