SpiceJet Freighter Aircraft Returns To Kolkata Due To Faulty Weather Radar

A SpiceJet freighter aircraft, which was heading to Chongqing in China, returned to Kolkata as the pilots realised after take off that its weather radar was not working.

This is at least the eighth incident of technical malfunction on a SpiceJet aircraft in the last 18 days.

"On July 5, 2022, SpiceJet Boeing 737 freighter was scheduled to operate from Kolkata to Chongqing. After take-off, the weather radar was not showing the weather," a spokesperson for the budget carrier said on Wednesday.

Also on July 5, the airline's Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator. A Kandla-Mumbai flight did priority landing in India's financial capital after cracks developed on its windshield mid-air.

On July 2, a SpiceJet flight heading to Jabalpur returned to Delhi after the crew members observed smoke in the cabin at around 5,000 feet altitude.

Fuselage door warnings lit up on two separate SpiceJet planes while taking off on June 24 and June 25, forcing them to abandon their journeys and return.

On June 19, an engine on SpiceJet's Delhi-bound aircraft caught fire soon after take off from Patna. The plane made an emergency landing minutes later. The engine malfunctioned because of a bird hit.

In another incident on June 19, a SpiceJet flight for Jabalpur had to return to Delhi due to cabin-pressure issues.

The airline has been making losses for the last three years. It incurred a net loss of Rs 316 crore, Rs 934 crore and Rs 998 crore in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively.