Safety violation: SpiceJet sacks four senior officials

New Delhi: Low-cost carrier SpiceJet Ltd has fired four senior executives after receiving a notice from the aviation regulator for listing children as infants to accommodate more passengers, a violation of safety norms.
The airline deployed a 189-seat Boeing Co. 737-800 aircraft for the Delhi-Mumbai flight SG-103 on 2 June instead of the scheduled 212-seat B737-900, because of a delay.
After 15 passengers protested for being asked to deplane because of a shortage of seats, SpiceJet officials asked children to sit on the laps of the adults they were travelling with—even though safety norms prescribe that anyone above the age of 2 must be given a separate seat.
Mint reported on 21 June that passengers had complained against the airline. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) then said it would investigate the incident. Late last month, the regulator issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet after concluding that safety norms had been breached.
A senior SpiceJet official official said four senior executives had been asked to leave, including the head of airports, and head of customer services. “We have also asked all station managers of airports to put passengers on a different flight in such a situation. The matter has been take very seriously.”
The airline has also sent its reply to DGCA’s notice, the official added.
26/10/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

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Categories: Safety Oct 2010, SpiceJet Oct 2010