Goa-Hyderabad SPiceJet flight in which smoke was detected 
Telangana

Spicejet flight makes emergency landing in Hyderabad, DGCA orders probe

While all passengers were evacuated safely, nine flights scheduled to depart for other cities were diverted.

Written by : Agencies

A SpiceJet plane coming from Goa made an emergency landing at the Hyderabad airport on Wednesday night, October 12, after smoke was observed in the cabin. The flight had taken off from Goa at 9.55 pm and just before the scheduled landing at Hyderabad at 11.30 pm, the pilot noticed the smoke in the cockpit. A Hyderabad airport official said there were 86 passengers onboard the Q400 aircraft VT-SQB, and all of them were evacuated safely amidst the heavy rains that lashed the city on Wednesday, officials said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a probe into the incident.

The plane landed safely and passengers disembarked through the emergency exit. One passenger sustained minor scratches on the feet while disembarking from the aircraft, a DGCA official said. However, during the process of evacuation, as many as nine flights were diverted on Wednesday night after the incident. These included six domestic flights, two international ones and a cargo flight.

SpiceJet has been facing operational and financial headwinds in recent times, and it is already under enhanced surveillance of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The regulator had also directed the airline to operate only 50 per cent of its total flights till October 29. On Thursday, the DGCA official said the regulator is probing the incident. "SpiceJet Q400 aircraft operating from Goa to Hyderabad landed safely at its destination on October 12 after smoke was observed in the cabin during descent. Passengers were safely disembarked," an airline spokesperson said.

On July 27, DGCA directed SpiceJet to operate a maximum of 50% of its flights, which were approved in the summer schedule for a period of eight weeks owing to a series of incidents involving its flights. Last month, the restrictions were extended till October 29.