A SpiceJet aircraft caught fire at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport during engine maintenance work. On May 25, a section of a SpiceJet Dash 8-Q400 aircraft was seen engulfed in flames at Delhi Airport (DEL). The aircraft was parked in a bay at the airport’s Terminal 1, and its number 1 engine was seen on fire.
A video of the incident is doing the rounds on social media, showing the intensity of the fire and resulting smoke. The fire was eventually put out, but the extent of the damage to the plane is not yet known. Thankfully no injuries were reported.
“On July 25, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft under maintenance, while carrying out engine ground run at idle power at bay, the AME observed fire warning on #1 Engine. Aircraft fire extinguisher bottle was discharged. As a precaution, fire brigade was called. Aircraft and maintenance personnel are safe,” commented spokesperson, SpiceJet.
SpiceJet operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 737 and Dash 8-Q400 propeller aircraft.
SpiceJet uses its Dash 8 aircraft for several regional routes all across India, many of which are part of the Indian Government’s regional UDAN scheme
Earlier this month, it was reported that SpiceJet was placed under enhanced surveillance by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The DGCA performed 51 spot checks across more than 10 locations in the country. A total of 23 aircraft were inspected across SpiceJet’s fleet of Boeing 737s and Dash 8s, and 95 observations were made by the regulator.
“The findings were of routine nature and were not considered significant by DGCA. Suitable maintenance action was taken by the airline to address the findings in accordance with DGCA guidelines. As a consequence, SpiceJet has been taken off the enhanced surveillance regime by DGCA,” DGCA commented post inspection.