A SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Dubai was diverted to Karachi on Tuesday after a fuel indicator started malfunctioning, DGCA officials said.
This is at least the sixth incident of technical malfunction on a SpiceJet aircraft in the last 17 days. India's aviation regulator -- Directorate General of Civil Aviation -- is investigating Tuesday's incident, along with the previous five.
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft enroute Dubai started showing an unusual decrease in fuel quantity from its left tank when it was mid-air. The plane, therefore, was diverted to Karachi. No visual leak was detected upon inspection at the Karachi airport.
An official of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the SpiceJet aircraft has made an emergency landing at the Karachi airport after developing a technical fault after it left New Delhi for Dubai.
“The pilot of Flight No. SG 11 contacted the control tower while flying over Pakistan airspace and said the aircraft had developed some technical fault. He requested an emergency landing. He was given permission to land on humanitarian grounds,” the PCAA official said. He said there were around 100 passengers on the flight.
Meanwhile, SpiceJet has sent an aircraft from Mumbai to Karachi to bring back these passengers, who are currently in the transit lounge.
“On July 5, 2022, SpiceJet B737 aircraft operating flight SG-11 (Delhi-Dubai) was diverted to Karachi due to an indicator light malfunction. The aircraft landed safely at Karachi and passengers were safely disembarked," SpiceJet said in a statement. "No emergency was declared and the aircraft made a normal landing. There was no earlier report of any malfunction with the aircraft."
Passengers have been served refreshments, it said, adding that an aircraft is being sent to Karachi that will take the passengers to Dubai.
Since June 19, there have been six incidents on SpiceJet planes.
On June 19, an engine on SpiceJet's Delhi-bound aircraft carrying 185 passengers caught fire soon after taking off from the Patna airport. It had to make an emergency landing minutes later. The engine malfunctioned because of a bird hit. In another incident on June 19, a flight for Jabalpur had to return to Delhi due to cabin pressurisation issues.
Fuselage door warnings lit up on two separate planes while taking off on June 24 and June 25, forcing them to abandon their journeys and return.
On July 2, a SpiceJet flight heading to Jabalpur returned to Delhi after the crew members observed smoke in the cabin at around 5,000-feet altitude.
In March 2021, a Lucknow-bound IndiGo flight from Sharjah was also diverted to Karachi airport due to a medical emergency on board.
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