Incidents Last Month Involve Three Airliners From Different Carriers

The pilots of three Indian airliners apparently did not want to wait their turn for landing at Kolkata Airport in India, and told controllers they were low on fuel to get immediate clearance to land, according to Indian aviation officials.

Bloomberg reports that the series of events began when the pilot of an IndiGo airplane told controllers he was low on fuel and requested an immediate landing, which put him ahead of several aircraft in a holding pattern over the airport. The pilot of an Air India airliner slotted ahead of the IndiGo flight heard the conversation, and did the same thing. A third pilot flying for SpiceJet was also granted landing clearance after saying he was low on fuel.

An unnamed official for the  Directorate General of Civil Aviation told reporters in Delhi that an investigation by civil aviation authorities in India found that none of the aircraft was actually low on fuel. Each had sufficient fuel to fly to an alternate airport and attempt two landings, or to hold for 30 minutes at Kolkata.

The pilots of all three aircraft were suspended, according to the report. They posed a "serious threat" to preparations for an actual fuel emergency, according to the official.

One of the passengers on the IndiGo aircraft was Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal state. Her political party raised the issue in parliament, saying her life was endangered by the pilot's actions.

SpiceJet has denied the charges, saying their pilot did not claim a fuel shortage or ask for a priority landing. Air India declined to comment, according to Bloomberg.

India is among the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, and maintaining on-time performance is a major selling point for carriers offering low-cost fares.

(Images from file)

FMI: www.civilaviation.gov.in