India’s aviation watchdog puts SpiceJet under surveillance

India’s aviation watchdog said it has placed budget airline SpiceJet under enhanced surveillance with immediate effect after a recent audit revealed “certain deficiencies”.

Thursday’s move came three weeks after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a special audit following reports of flight cancellations and financial troubles.

“This would entail an increase in a number of spot checks/ night surveillance with a view to ensure the safety of operations,” the DGCA said in a statement, citing the airline’s past record and the special audit.

The watchdog did not disclose the exact issues it found.

The DGCA conducted a special drive of spot checks on the carrier in 2022 and put it under enhanced surveillance again in 2023. A SpiceJet spokesperson sought more time to comment on the latest action.

The Hindu Daily reported earlier in the day that SpiceJet had to operate empty flights from Dubai because passengers were not allowed to check in because of the airline’s unpaid airport dues. This marks at least the second such disruption this month.

The current disruption is the latest in a long list of troubles for SpiceJet, which has struggled to restore operations despite multiple fundraises over the last year fully.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said the cancellations were “due to operational issues”, and affected passengers were accommodated on subsequent SpiceJet flights on other airlines or provided with a full refund.

All scheduled flights from Dubai are now operating as planned, according to the spokesperson.

Dubai Airports declined a Reuters request for comment.

Some of SpiceJet’s lessors took it to court to settle unpaid dues and also requested that India’s aviation regulator de-register its planes. This led to the airline’s aircraft being grounded, and its results have been weighed, including in the first quarter.

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