Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday initiated stringent disciplinary action against three airlines for different internal lapses,]. While SpiceJet has been placed under enhanced surveillance to ensure the safety of the crisis-hit airline's operations, separate actions have been taken for Air India Express and Akasa Air as well.
SpiceJet Under surveillance
By placing SpiceJet under enhanced surveillance, DGCA is now set to carry out extensive spot checks and night surveillance of the carrier to ensure utmost safety. The decision of surveillance has been taken in the backdrop of frequent reports of cancellation of flights and financial stress being experienced by SpiceJet.
Addressing the financial crunch, DGCA said it conducted a special audit of the airline's engineering facilities on August 7 and 8 and certain deficiencies were found during the audit.
"In light of the past record and the special audit carried out in August 2024, SpiceJet has once again been placed under enhanced surveillance with immediate effect," the regulator said in a release.
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DGCA action: Fine, Show cause notice
Apart from the stringent action against SpiceJet, the watchdog also imposed a fine of rupees 10 lakh on Air India Express for non-payment of compensation to passengers for cancelled flights.
Also, a show cause notice has been issued to Akasa Air for "several regulatory breaches identified during a recent review". Besides, a spot audit and scrutiny revealed that practical training sessions conducted by the airline were completed and simulated without the mandated requisite regulatory approvals.
DGCA action: Approval suspended for training organization
DGCA on Thursday also suspended the approval for Alchemist Aviation following an audit report done in the backdrop of a fatal trainee aircraft accident.
The move came less than two weeks after the organisation's trainee aircraft was involved in the fatal accident that killed the two people on board -- instructor and trainee pilot.
