Yet another Durgapur-bound SpiceJet flight faces snag, returns to Chennai after engine problem

Another Durgapur-bound SpiceJet flight has faced a snag, forcing the pilot to return to Chennai, its starting location. The flight SG-331 had to return to base after facing engine issues late Tuesday night. Spicejet was operating a Boeing B737-8 Max aircraft VT-MXA on the Chennai-Durgapur route when it faced a technical glitch and had to return to base.

This is the second issue with Durgapur-bound SpiceJet flight in a week's time. Last week, a Boeing 737 operated by Spicejet on Mumbai-Durgapur route faced severe turbulence leaving multiple passengers injured, two of who are in the ICU. 

India's aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced that it is inspecting the entire SpiceJet aircraft fleet to avoid any further incidents. The DGCA also took off the roster the flight's crew, aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) and in-charge of SpiceJet's maintenance control centre, pending a probe.

At present, the aircraft that was involved in the incident on May 1 is grounded in Kolkata, the DGCA said. The rest of the SpiceJet aircraft fleet are in operation. SpiceJet has 91 aircraft in its fleet, according to its website.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “The turbulence encountered by a flight while landing in Durgapur, and the damage caused to the passengers is unfortunate. The DGCA has deputed a team to investigate the incident.”

The matter is being dealt with utmost seriousness and deftness, he said. "More details on the cause(s) will be shared once the investigation is completed," Scindia noted. There were 195 people, including two pilots and four cabin crew members, on board the Mumbai-Durgapur flight, the DGCA mentioned. The plane took off from the Mumbai airport at approximately 5:13 pm on Sunday (May 1), it said.