As SpiceJet faces heat from the aviation regulator DGCA for multiple flight incidents in the last few weeks, malfunction cases involving planes of IndiGo and Vistara came to light on Wednesday.
Videos circulating online showed Gaurav, 44, and Saurav, 40, being escorted by Thai police at Bangkok airport ahead of their departure for India.
'Of course, it's wrong to hit the pilot 100 per cent, I will not agree with that. But why was he blaming passengers in this'
An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar encountered severe turbulence after a sudden hailstorm. The pilot requested permission from Lahore Air Traffic Control to use Pakistani airspace to avoid the turbulence, but the request was rejected. The flight, carrying over 220 passengers, including Trinamool Congress MPs, landed safely at Srinagar Airport. The incident is being investigated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner experienced an uncommanded deployment of its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) shortly before landing. The DGCA is investigating the incident, raising safety concerns.
The woman passenger Kushboo Gupta shared on Instagram a short video of the worm in the sandwich onboard the flight.
The safety and security of citizens is primary for the government, he said.
The incident took place in flight number 6E 308 from IGI Airport at around 7:56 am on Friday.
In recent times, there have also been instances of GPS spoofing and interference incidents at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai airports.
Had someone done a deliberate mischief, security officials would file FIR and deboard the passenger.
IndiGo's Sharjah-Hyderabad flight was diverted to Karachi as a precaution on Sunday after pilots observed defect in one of the engines, officials of aviation regulator DGCA said.
The Delhi High Court has directed the removal of defamatory social media posts concerning the alleged molestation of a journalist on a flight, citing a violation of the accused's right to dignity and fair trial. The court also criticised media houses and actor Richa Chadha for amplifying unverified allegations.
Thousands of tourists have begun leaving Kashmir after a terror attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, prompting authorities to arrange for their safe return. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the exodus, while the Civil Aviation Ministry has ordered airlines to ensure there are no fare hikes and to offer extra flights from Srinagar. While many tourists are leaving, some are choosing to stay, citing the presence of security forces and their feeling of safety.
The minister's remarks come against the backdrop of Surya, the ruling BJP's Bengaluru South MP, facing flak from Congress over the incident, which happened on December 10 last year at Chennai airport.
'We kept our bags packed, ready to jump into the sea. Many times, I felt it could be my last day.'
There was no injury to any passenger or crew. The aircraft landed safely at Delhi airport, the official confirmed.
A suspect in the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub fire in Goa, which killed 25, has been brought to Goa for questioning. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice has been issued for the owners, who fled to Thailand.
An IndiGo aircraft grazed the wings of an Air India Express plane at the Kolkata airport on Wednesday, leaving the wings of both aircraft damaged, officials said.
More than 30 flights of various Indian airlines, including Vistara, Air India and IndiGo, received bomb threats on Saturday, according to sources.
Air India has cancelled eight flights, including four international services, on Friday due to enhanced maintenance and operational reasons, the airline said.
'A passenger was deplaned by the police at the Delhi airport from Raipur-bound flight 6E 204. Some other passengers have also decided to deboard on their own accord,' it added.
The sources said the aircraft was allotted a remote bay C-33 instead of a Contact Stand, an aircraft parking stand that is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated boarding gate. This further added to passenger woes and deprived them the opportunity to avail basic facilities like rest rooms and refreshments at the terminal, they added.
As many as 19 flights have received bomb threats in three days and a Riyadh-bound IndiGo flight was diverted to Muscat due to the threat, according to officials.
Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Goa nightclub wanted in connection with the fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives at the facility, have fled to Thailand, prompting police to seek the help of Interpol to trace them, officials said in Panaji on Monday.
The civil aviation ministry reports six aircraft engine shutdown incidents and three May Day calls in India this year. The Air India plane crash investigation is ongoing, with all aspects being examined.
A 22-year-old youth and a person with disability died, while at least 11 were injured, in separate rain-related incidents in the national capital on Wednesday evening. The incidents occurred amid sudden changes in weather in Delhi, as a rainy storm marked by hail wrecked havoc across the city, throwing traffic out of gear as far as Delhi-Noida, Delhi-Ghaziabad, and Delhi-Gurugram roads and uprooting several trees.
"We offer our sincere regrets to the affected family for the unfortunate experience and as a small token of our appreciation of their lifelong dedication would like to offer to purchase an electric wheelchair for their son," he added.
A Delhi court on Wednesday refused to give any interim protection from arrest to Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the ill-fated Goa nightclub who fled to Thailand, as their partner was held in connection with the fire incident that killed 25 people last weekend.
This is the second incident in six months of an untoward incident involving IndiGo staff.
A passenger was arrested for allegedly attempting to open the emergency exit door of an IndiGo flight from Nagpur to Bengaluru prior to take-off, police said.
Aviation security regulator BCAS on Wednesday slapped fines totalling Rs 1.80 crore on IndiGo and Mumbai airport operator MIAL over the incident of passengers having food on the airport's apron. The apron is the area around the aircraft where it has finally parked for deboarding.
In the short video clip, other crew members could be seen shouting at the passenger after he hit the pilot.
Westberg is the eighth airline passenger arrested in India in the past three months for alleged unruly behaviour.
'We have seen some videos wherein mediapersons are standing too close to each other in the 6E264 flight on Wednesday. It seems to be a violation of safety and social distancing protocols'
Engine snag forces IndiGo to ground 7 new aircraft
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft -- VT-ANB -- was 11.5 years old and had flown for more than 41,000 hours, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
IndiGo confirmed the incident but said the aircraft did not face any technical issue in the past.
Chadha also said there is a possibility that fog in Delhi and a recent air show in Mumbai may have added to the troubles of the airline.
A police officer said Kataria was called on Tuesday for questioning to know the sequence of the incident.
Mumbaikars woke up to very heavy rainfall on Monday, while the India meteorological department (IMD) issued a 'red' alert, forecasting extremely heavy rains at isolated places in the city and adjoining areas, prompting the civic body to declare a holiday for schools and colleges, officials said.
