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'Safety is our utmost concern': Airline tapes over window crack

‘Isn’t it a major safety concern? Anyone listening?’ asked passenger

Thursday 07 November 2019 11:17 GMT
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SpiceJet is India's largest low-cost airline
SpiceJet is India's largest low-cost airline (AFP/Getty Images)

An airline that taped over a crack in one of its plane windows has insisted that safety is its “utmost concern”.

Passenger Hariharan Sankaran noticed the Sellotaped crack onboard Spicejet flight SG8152 from Mumbai to Delhi.

He shared a picture of the cracked window on Twitter, asking: “Isn’t it a major safety concern? Anyone listening?”

The Indian airline responded, saying: “Hi Hariharan, at SpiceJet, safety is our utmost concern and at no point in time does the airline compromise on the same.

“We shall surely convey this to the concerned head for necessary action. The inconvenience caused is regretted.”

Mr Sankaran responded: “If there is a cello tape pasted, means someone has seen it and aware of the situation.”

Spicejet later said that the crack was on the “inner flexi pane and was fixed the same day”.

“The purpose of the inner pane is to protect the window from scratches. The inner pane doesn’t carry structural pressurization loads.

“Please be assured that at no point in time was safety compromised.”

Airtight plane windows are essential onboard an aircraft to help maintain the correct air pressure inside the cabin.

At more than 10,000ft, passengers would be unable to breathe due to the lack of oxygen in the air without pressurised air.

Last year, a 43-year-old woman died when she was partially sucked out of a broken window following an engine explosion onboard a Southwest Airlines flight.

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