After IndiGo flight aborted due to take-off incident, DGCA orders probe

New Delhi:

A probe has been ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after an IndiGo flight on Friday night aborted its take-off following an incident. Sparks were reported to have emanated from the wings of the plane when it was on the runway, triggering a major concern, which prompted a series of measures by the airline.

The IndiGo flight – 6E2131 – was headed from Delhi to Bangalore, the carrier stated, adding that “a technical issue while on take off roll” was registered, “immediately after which the pilot aborted the take off and the aircraft safely returned to the bay”. “All passengers and crew are safe and an alternate aircraft was arranged to operate the flight, which took off at 0016 hrs on Oct 29, 2022. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers,” it further said.

Unverified visuals showed sparks under the wing. The video was seemingly recorded by a passenger and shared widely on social media.

Following the incident, the aviation regulator said it has ordered a probe. “Concerned officials at @DGCAIndia have been directed to look into this and furnish a report at the earliest. (sic),” a tweet by the DGCA read. Several incidents related to domestic carriers have caught the attention of the regulator in the recent months.

Just last week, the 50 per cent cap on SpiceJet – another major domestic carrier in the Indian aviation space – was lifted. The curbs were announced after a series of air safety incidents. ‘

“The airline is complying with all the directions emanating from audits/checks. Hence, the restrictions on them will not be extended further and they are allowed to operate flights without any restrictions,” Arun Kumar, the director general of DGCA had said.