New Delhi: A fire broke out on a grounded SpiceJet aircraft during maintenance work at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Tuesday evening. However, officials confirmed that both the aircraft and maintenance personnel are safe, averting any major mishap.

According to a SpiceJet spokesperson, the incident occurred when the Q400 aircraft was undergoing engine ground run at idle power at the bay. During the maintenance procedure, the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) observed a fire warning on the #1 Engine.

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“As a safety measure, the aircraft’s fire extinguisher bottle was promptly discharged, and the fire brigade was called in as a precautionary measure. The situation was brought under control swiftly, and there were no reported injuries or casualties,” SpiceJet spokesperson said.

Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation regulator in India, initiated an enhanced surveillance check on SpiceJet. The DGCA conducted 51 spot checks across 11 locations in the country, inspecting a total of 23 aircraft from SpiceJet’s Boeing 737 and Bombardier DHC Q-400 fleet.

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During the inspections, the DGCA teams made 95 observations.

The findings from the spot checks were of routine nature and did not raise significant concerns for the DGCA. The airline promptly addressed the observations in line with DGCA guidelines, undertaking suitable maintenance actions where necessary. As a result, the DGCA has taken SpiceJet off the enhanced surveillance regime, indicating the airline’s compliance with safety protocols and regulations.