A few days after an incident of smoke in the cockpit and cabin of a SpiceJet flight, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi has written a letter to Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, drawing attention to the safety concern in SpiceJet Airlines.
In her letter, Chaturvedi highlighted the issue of non-compliance with the safety norms.
“Despite the assurances received, the same incidents continue to recur. This is the 8th incident with the same airline,” she wrote about the non-compliance of the safety and emergency protocols by the airline.
She reiterated that the airline compromised on the safety of passengers and crew of the aircraft. Goa-Hyderabad SpiceJet aircraft had an emergency landing after smoke filled up its cabin on October 12.
“Due to the emergency landing, many flights had to be diverted after the incident occurred at around 11 pm. The pilot of flight SG 3735 noticed smoke and alerted the Air Traffic Controller (ATC), who in turn alerted the ground staff,” the letter reads.
Drawing attention of the minister towards the safety of the crew, the Rajya Sabha member further said: “While the passengers have the option of choosing other airline operators, the lives of the crew is put at risk without any safety net due to their employment dependency with the airlines. In fact, they were in this incident so rattled and petrified that they asked the passengers to pray to God.”
“The lives of crew are put at risk without any safety net due to their employment dependency with the airlines. They were so rattled and petrified themselves they asked the passengers to pray to God. It is distressing that we continue to put the lives at risk without putting strict accountability in place,” Chaturvedi wrote.
The plane was carrying 86 passengers on board, who disembarked through the emergency exit after the aircraft made the emergency landing.
The Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting swung into action and helped passengers to evacuate safely. But one traveller received minor injuries on the feet while getting out.