Go First's Delhi-Guwahati flight's windshield cracks mid-air, airline issues statement
The airline later issued a statement saying that it regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests and their families and is actively working to ensure that all its passengers reach their final destination.
- Jul 20, 2022,
- Updated Jul 20, 2022 7:27 PM IST
In another incident, a Go First flight heading from Delhi to Guwahati was diverted to Jaipur after the A320neo aircraft's windshield cracked mid-air, aviation regulator DGCA officials said on Wednesday.
This is the third incident of technical malfunction on a Go First aircraft in two days. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating all three incidents.
After the pilots observed that the windshield on the plane had cracked, they wanted to return to Delhi but could not do so due to heavy rains in the afternoon, the officials said, adding the A320neo plane was then diverted to Jaipur.
The airline later issued a statement saying that it regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests and their families and is actively working to ensure that all its passengers reach their final destination.
Elaborating on the incident, a Go First spokesperson stated that the flight's fleet is the youngest fleet and have adequate care for the maintenance of all aircraft, adding that the average age of the fleet is hardly 36 months and that technical reliability of the fleet is above 99.6%.
"GO FIRST accords highest priority to safety of passengers and as per standard procedure all necessary preventive maintenance checks are carried out at periodic intervals. The aircraft inspection and maintenance practices are in line with DGCA and all international and national aviation norm," the carrier's spokesperson said in a statement.
Further, the spokesperson also added, "Pilot in Command was very well experienced and a qualified TRI and handled the issue quite diligently and with maturity and due to the weather at Delhi he took a precautionary measure and diverted the aircraft to Jaipur."
The passengers are being accommodated on the alternate aircraft from Jaipur to Guwahati and due care is being taken for their comfort and convenience, the spokesperson further stated.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Go First's Mumbai-Leh and Srinagar-Delhi flights faced engine snags and both planes were grounded by the DGCA. The two planes involved in Tuesday's incidents will be allowed to fly only after being cleared by the DGCA, officials noted.
According to Go First's website, the carrier has 57 planes in its fleet.
There have been multiple technical malfunction incidents in planes flown by Indian carriers in the last one month. Consequently, between Sunday and Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held multiple meetings with airlines and officials from his ministry and DGCA to ensure safety oversight.
The DGCA had on Monday said it conducted spot checks and found that an insufficient number of engineering personnel were certifying planes of various carriers before take-off. Before each departure, an aircraft is checked and certified by an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME). The DGCA has now issued guidelines for airlines on the deployment of qualified AMEs and directed them to comply by July 28.
In another incident, a Go First flight heading from Delhi to Guwahati was diverted to Jaipur after the A320neo aircraft's windshield cracked mid-air, aviation regulator DGCA officials said on Wednesday.
This is the third incident of technical malfunction on a Go First aircraft in two days. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating all three incidents.
After the pilots observed that the windshield on the plane had cracked, they wanted to return to Delhi but could not do so due to heavy rains in the afternoon, the officials said, adding the A320neo plane was then diverted to Jaipur.
The airline later issued a statement saying that it regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests and their families and is actively working to ensure that all its passengers reach their final destination.
Elaborating on the incident, a Go First spokesperson stated that the flight's fleet is the youngest fleet and have adequate care for the maintenance of all aircraft, adding that the average age of the fleet is hardly 36 months and that technical reliability of the fleet is above 99.6%.
"GO FIRST accords highest priority to safety of passengers and as per standard procedure all necessary preventive maintenance checks are carried out at periodic intervals. The aircraft inspection and maintenance practices are in line with DGCA and all international and national aviation norm," the carrier's spokesperson said in a statement.
Further, the spokesperson also added, "Pilot in Command was very well experienced and a qualified TRI and handled the issue quite diligently and with maturity and due to the weather at Delhi he took a precautionary measure and diverted the aircraft to Jaipur."
The passengers are being accommodated on the alternate aircraft from Jaipur to Guwahati and due care is being taken for their comfort and convenience, the spokesperson further stated.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Go First's Mumbai-Leh and Srinagar-Delhi flights faced engine snags and both planes were grounded by the DGCA. The two planes involved in Tuesday's incidents will be allowed to fly only after being cleared by the DGCA, officials noted.
According to Go First's website, the carrier has 57 planes in its fleet.
There have been multiple technical malfunction incidents in planes flown by Indian carriers in the last one month. Consequently, between Sunday and Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held multiple meetings with airlines and officials from his ministry and DGCA to ensure safety oversight.
The DGCA had on Monday said it conducted spot checks and found that an insufficient number of engineering personnel were certifying planes of various carriers before take-off. Before each departure, an aircraft is checked and certified by an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME). The DGCA has now issued guidelines for airlines on the deployment of qualified AMEs and directed them to comply by July 28.