SpiceJet's Dubai-Madurai flight delayed due to nose wheel malfunction; 9th technical issue in 24 days

Monday's incident was the ninth technical failure in a SpiceJet aircraft in the previous 24 days.  

SpiceJet's Dubai-Madurai flight was delayed on Monday post the nose wheel of the Boeing B737 Max aircraft malfunctioned, according to officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Monday's incident was the ninth technical failure in a SpiceJet aircraft in the previous 24 days.

The DGCA issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet on July 6 in response to eight incidents of technical malfunction in its aircraft since June 19. According to the aviation regulator, the budget carrier "failed" to establish safe, efficient, and dependable air services.

According to DGCA officials, the Mangaluru-Dubai flight was operated on Monday by a Boeing B737 Max aircraft with registration number VT-SZK. After the plane touched down, an engineer performed a walk-around inspection and discovered that the nose wheel strut was compressed more than usual, according to the report. 

Following the same, the engineer decided to ground the aircraft, according to officials. According to the airline, another aircraft was sent from Mumbai to Dubai to operate the return Dubai-Madurai flight.

When asked about the situation, a SpiceJet spokesperson stated, "SpiceJet flight SG23 from Dubai to Madurai was delayed on July 11, 2022, due to a last-minute technical issue. An alternate aircraft was immediately arranged to transport passengers back to India."

"Any airline can experience flight delays. On this flight, there has been no incident or safety scare," the spokesperson continued.