Delhi-Bound Spicejet Flight Takes Off From Rajkot Sans ATC Clearance, Probe On

Jan. 2—A SpiceJet passenger flight took off from Delhi from Gujarat's Rajkot in the last week of December without the mandatory clearance from the Air Traffic Control (ATC).

A probe has now been ordered by the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the pilots have been de-rostered pending the investigation.

An ANI report, quoting the Rajkot airport director, said the incident happened on December 30, 2021. "The pilots had not taken the mandatory take-off permission from the ATC Rajkot. A detailed report has been sent to the Airports Authority of India headquarters and the DGCA," the director said.

According to the flight schedule, SG-3703 was on time for taking off for Delhi, but it was observed by ATC that the pilots flew without taking the mandatory permission for take-off.

"Through its communication, the Rajkot ATC asked the pilots as to how they flew without take-off permission... In response, the pilots apologised and said that there was a mistake. This conversation took place when the plane took off," a senior official of the Airport Authority of India was quoted as saying by the news agency.

According to a report in the Times of India, a pilot said the investigation will ascertain how the lapse happened and who was at fault. "Was it a communication gap, error or something else. This needs to be seen as such a thing cannot be allowed to be repeated.

As per Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), mandatory take-off permission is required for any aircraft from ATC before the flight takes off, whether the runway is secured or not or any other aircraft not arriving for an emergency.

(With inputs from agencies)

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