Aviation
Spice Jet suffers 7 emergency landings in 17 days, trouble brewing for airline.
On Tuesday, a Spice Jet flight from Delhi to Dubai suffered a fuel indication malfunction in the air and had to be diverted to Karachi. At a height of 23,000 feet, the windshield of another Spice Jet started to break, necessitating an urgent landing in Mumbai. The budget airline suffered two defeats in a single day, bringing the total number of technical fault issues involving Spice Jet aircraft to seven during the previous 17 days. Although neither of the two parties in this case has made a statement, officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) claim that the aviation regulator of India is looking into each of the seven events and may take actions against the airline if it determines that it is at fault.
Regarding the seven incidents, six were domestic flights and one was an international flight. On June 5 in the early morning, a Spice Jet Boeing 737 Max carrying about 150 passengers on a trip from Delhi to Dubai was reported to have an international flight incident when it made an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan. While in the air, the plane began to exhibit an odd fuel quantity reduction from its left tank, which caused it to be redirected to Karachi.
When an inspection was done at the Karachi airport, no visual leak was observed from the left tank, they added. Spice Jet deputed another aircraft from India in the evening and by 10 PM in the night, all passengers left for Dubai again, spending 12 hours in Pakistan.
In the second incident, the Q400 plane’s windshield cracked at a height of 23,000 feet, forcing the pilots to make a quick landing at the Mumbai airport, according to DGCA officials. It was not immediately known how many people were travelling on the 78-seat Q400 aircraft on the Kandla-Mumbai journey. According to them, the aircraft had no problems with cabin pressurization. “Spice Jet Q400 aircraft was flying SG 3324 on July 5th, 2022. (Kandla-Mumbai). At FL230 (23,000 feet above sea level), the P2 side windshield outer pane cracked. It was noted that pressurization was typical. The plane touched down safely in Mumbai “In a statement, Spice Jet said.
On June 19, the carrier’s flight bound for Delhi with 185 passengers experienced an engine fire shortly after departure from Patna airport and necessitating an emergency landing. Because of the bird strike, the engine broke down. The plane’s pilot, Monica Khanna, is given credit for a successful landing after one of the most significant occurrences in recent days.
In another incident on June 19, a flight for Jabalpur had to return to Delhi due to cabin pressurization issues. Fuselage door warnings lit up on two separate planes while taking off on June 24 and June 25, forcing them to abandon their journeys and return.
On July 2, a flight to Jabalpur made a turn back to Delhi when the crew noticed smoke in the cabin at a height of about 5,000 feet.
One more on 5th of july, Due to a malfunctioning weather radar, a Spice Jet cargo flight headed for China made a Tuesday return to Kolkata. The Spice Jet cargo Boeing 737 was supposed to fly from Kolkata to Chongqing, however the spokesperson said that after takeoff it was discovered that the weather radar was inoperable. The pilot-in-command made the decision to return to Kolkata and successfully touched down there.
Aviation
Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating
Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.
This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.
One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.
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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.
The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.
The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.
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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.
Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.
With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.
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