A SpiceJet aircraft caught on fire during maintenance checks at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi, India.
According to the airline, staff noticed a fire warning on engine one of the Dash 8 Q500, but the flames were quickly extinguished.
A spokesperson for SpiceJet confirmed that both the aircraft and maintenance personnel were safe following the incident on July 25, 2023.
The flaming engine was filmed on camera and shared on social media. Although filmed from a distance the blaze was quite intense and thick, black smoke quickly engulfed the area.
“On July 25, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was under maintenance. While carrying out engine ground run at idle power at bay, the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer observed fire warning on #1 Engine. Aircraft fire extinguisher bottle was discharged,” the airline said in a statement.
SpiceJet also confirmed that a fire engine was called to the scene as a precaution.
According to Mangalore Today, the incident occurred on the same day that SpiceJet was removed from the enhanced surveillance regime by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Due to concerns over maintenance the DGCA inspected a total of 23 aircraft and made 95 observations.
“The findings were of routine nature and were not considered significant by DGCA. Suitable maintenance action was taken by the airline to address the findings in accordance with DGCA guidelines. As a consequence, SpiceJet has been taken off the enhanced surveillance regime by DGCA,” the DGCA reported.