The move comes amid expectations that the government would allow foreign airlines to invest directly in Indian carriers.
Aviation regulator DGCA conducted 53 spot checks on 48 SpiceJet aircraft between July 9 and July 13 and it did not find any major safety violations, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Monday. "However, as a safety measure, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered SpiceJet to use certain identified aircraft (10) for operations only after confirming to the regulator that all reported defects/malfunctions are rectified," Singh said in his written reply in Rajya Sabha. SpiceJet planes were involved in at least eight technical malfunction incidents in the 18-day period starting June 19, following which the DGCA had on July 6 issued a show-cause notice to the airline, stating that "poor internal safety oversight" and "inadequate maintenance actions" have resulted in degradation of safety margins.
'For the moment, we have barred these pilots from flying the Max and they have to retrain successfully for flying the aircraft,' DGCA chief Arun Kumar said in a statement.
the airline is giving 30 per cent discount on tickets.
Jet Airways has complained to India's aviation regulator about the use of its livery on SpiceJet aircraft, saying the practice could "mislead the public" and is a safety hazard. Jet collapsed in 2019 and lessors repossessed its Boeing 737s. Some of these aircraft were leased to SpiceJet, which operates them without changing the livery. Jet, which is now being revived by the Kalrock Jalan consortium and aims to restart operations in September, has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ask SpiceJet to stop using its livery.
Ajay Singh will team up with two blue-chip investors to bail out the airline
About 40 quit last November as the airline cut down its fleet.
In an unprecedented action, Indian aviation regulator DGCA has directed low-cost airline Spicejet to operate only 50 per cent of its flights for eight weeks. This follows an unusually high number of incidents involving the airline, raising safety concerns. The curtailment of capacity is unlikely to have any commercial impact on the airline owned by entrepreneur Ajay Singh. SpiceJet already operates less than 50 per cent of the flights it had filed for the summer schedule.
The two episodes on a single day have taken the total number of technical malfunction incidents involving SpiceJet aircraft to seven in the last 17 days.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said that after take-off from Jeddah, ATC informed the pilots that tyre pieces were found on the runway.
Speaking to Business Standard, Jet Executive Director Saroj Datta said: "SpiceJet and JetLite are an absolute fit in so far as their business models are concerned."
As full-service carriers hiked fares and surcharges due to skyrocketing jet fuel prices, the no-frill ones have launched special offers with SpiceJet on Thursday announcing the sale of three lakh tickets for Rs 3 each plus taxes and surcharge from Friday.
Concerned over the deteriorating condition of SpiceJet, aviation regulator DGCA on Friday withdrew 186 of its slots and asked it to clear salary dues of all its employees in the next ten days.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said, 'On May 1, SpiceJet Boeing B737 aircraft operating flight SG-945 from Mumbai to Durgapur encountered severe turbulence during descent which unfortunately resulted in injuries to a few passengers.'
Barring one quarter, SpiceJet made a profit in every quarter last year.
After Air India and IndiGo, SpiceJet is the third carrier to cancel the ticket of the Lok Sabha member.
SpiceJet recorded the highest complaint rate per 10,000 passengers, rising sharply from 3.9 in November 2024 to 13.8 in October 2025.
During these eight weeks, the budget carrier will be subjected to "enhanced surveillance" by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
It is not clear whether the fund would be looking at a possible buyout of the promoters' stake or fresh infusion of equity. Wilbur Ross does not have any investment in aviation till now. The fund will be looking at a bailout for the airline as SpiceJet is seeking to raise funds to stay afloat and also to fund the aircraft acquisition for its new Boeing fleet scheduled for deliveries over the next five months.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the submissions of senior advocate Harish Salve that SpiceJet would try to resolve the issue with the Swiss firm. "Senior counsel Harish Salve sought three weeks' time for trying to resolve the matter and Mr K V Vishwanathan (appearing for the Swiss firm) also agreed to the adjournment. "Meanwhile, the high court order is stayed for three weeks," the bench, also comprising justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli, ordered.
The share swap is expected to be in the ratio of 1: 3, where SpiceJet shareholders will get one share of the merged entity for every three SpiceJet shares owned by them.
The airline is trying to save on wage costs by cutting the normal notice period of six months by about half for pilots who have already resigned.
His resignation comes at a time when the cash-strapped airline is looking at various ways to get in fresh investment. The airline will either look at a merger with Kingfisher Airlines, which is promoted by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, or a possible infusion from US distress fund Wilbur Ross, which is willing to pump in money.
The airline was forced to ground its fleet in December after running out of cash.
40 executives in the middle to senior level are set to join the airline from rival IndiGo.
First investment by the group in aviation; deal size may be less than Rs 100 crore.
Low-cost carrier SpiceJet said on Monday it had signed a $1.1 billion deal for sale and lease back agreement, covering 16 brand-new Boeing aircraft.
DGCA was irked by was a video on social media that showed passengers dancing on board a midair flight. The regulator has summoned the airline officials seeking an explanation.
Indian budget airline SpiceJet has agreed to buy around 40 Boeing 737 passenger jets worth over $4 billion at list prices as it seeks to modernize its fleet and climb out of the red, industry sources said on Tuesday.
The UK-based promoter-director Bhulo (Bhupendra) Kansagra of Delhi-based low-cost carrier SpiceJet is willing to divest the family stake in the airline if the valuations are right. The Kansagra family owns 12.91 per cent in the airline, which is publicly listed, and has a 10 per cent share in the Indian market, and a market capitalisation of $250 million.
SpiceJet Ltd., an Indian budget airline, will likely to sell a foreign currency convertible bond worth $90 million by early September to raise money for more plane purchases, a company executive said Wednesday.
Sources said SpiceJet's deal with Boeing is worth around $1.4 billion as per the list price. When contacted, company officials, however, declined to comment on the valuation of the deal.
Cites high valuations as reason for exit.
The civil aviation ministry appears supportive of SpiceJet because it does not want another airline to fail. The real test now will be the capacity of the airline's chairman, Kalanithi Maran, to raise funds. And he needs to do this quickly.
This is three and a half times the loss in the same quarter a year ago.
SpiceJet announced it has started a five-day "1+1 offer sale" where it was offering one-way base fares starting as low as Rs 899, excluding taxes, on its domestic network.
These slots, under the air bubble pact, will later be extended to operate regular flight services once international flight services resumes.
SpiceJet said its flight heading to Jabalpur returned to Delhi on Saturday after the crew members observed smoke in the cabin at around 5,000-feet altitude.
SpiceJet was forced to ground its fleet and cancel hundreds of its flights in December.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances