Media reports that 8 flights of SpiceJet had a two and a half minute dance sequence by the crew mid-air to celebrate holi. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet, asking as to why the airline’s permit should not be suspended after safety violations on board its flights. “In one flight (SG 876) the commander can also been seen dancing. The passengers and crew can also been seen dancing and mobile phones are being used. These are all violations of safety rules,” said Prabhat Kumar, DGCA chief. The pilot and co-pilot of the Goa-Bangalore flight have been suspended. The airline said the two pilots have been suspended as their coming out of the cockpit was not part of the plan.
Following is the full statement issued by SpiceJet:
As of this point, we have not received any show cause notice, but based on media reports, we expect it will arrive today and we will cooperate fully.
The activity, while maybe a first in India, is very similar to what is done by airlines to surprise passengers in the US, Europe, and elsewhere in Asia, by airlines such as Southwest in the US, Virgin in Europe, and Air Asia, videos of which are also freely viewable on YouTube.
It was a 2.5 minute sequence performed by specially trained cabin crew who volunteered to perform (both male and female), and consisted mainly of twirling hand movements.
Extra cabin crew as well as cabin crew managers were on the flights to ensure front and rear galleys were manned for those 2.5 minutes, and to ensure all planned activities were well-supervised.
We take Safety very seriously – it is our #1, 2, and 3 priority; we will never compromise on Safety – we will be the first to act on any known violations.
We are working closely with the DGCA to answer their questions concerns and queries.