A series of spot checks conducted by India's aviation safety regulatory agency, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on SpiceJet's aircraft fleet found no "significant finding or safety violation", the ministry of civil aviation told parliament July 25th.

This comes as a major reprieve for SpiceJet, an Indian airline that has flown with the highest passenger load factor (occupancy) for the past seven years. The Ministry of Civil Aviation also informed parliament that the crew of the SpiceJet flight diverted to Karachi on July 5 had not declared a state of emergency, nor had there been any fuel leak in the plane, as has been repeatedly stated and emphasized by SpiceJet.

"From July 9, 2022 to July 13, 2022, a series of spot checks were recently carried out on all M/s Spicejet operational aircraft for violations," the aviation ministry told Rajya Sabha in response to a question.

SpiceJet has also rectified the defects/malfunctions identified by the DGCA in 10 aircraft and all of these 10 aircraft are back in service. The correction was made immediately after the DGCA observation. The ministry further informed Parliament that DGCA had conducted the regulatory audit of three airlines, including SpiceJet, according to the published Annual Monitoring Program (ASP) 2022.

Responding to a separate question about a flight diversion to Karachi, the ministry said: "The cabin crew has not declared an emergency. No fuel leak was revealed after the landing check and inspection in Karachi."

SpiceJet, an IATA-IOSA-certified airline, also has the envious accolade of flying 58 consecutive months with a PLF of over 90%. SpiceJet's fleet has been made public by the government. SpiceJet has been running a safe airline for 17 years and this is not only a confirmation of our stand, but also of the love and trust of our passengers who have made SpiceJet the most popular airline in the country with the highest load of the past seven year. I am pleased that these findings and assessment are from none other than the DGCA, India's premier aviation safety agency, and regulator," said Ajay Singh, SpiceJet Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.