SpiceJet praises its Patna-Delhi pilots, saying, “We’re proud of them”

New Delhi: A top SpiceJet official praised the pilots of the airline’s Patna-Delhi flight after one of the plane’s engines caught fire shortly after take-off for the national capital. “During the event, Captain Monika Khanna and first officer Balpreet Singh Bhatia performed admirably. They remained composed throughout and managed the plane expertly. “They are seasoned officers, and we are proud of them,” SpiceJet’s chief of flight operations, Gurcharan Arora, told news agency ANI. “Only a single engine was functional when the plane arrived back,” Arora continued, describing the incident. Engineers examined the plane and discovered that a fan blade and engine had been damaged by a bird strike. The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) will look into it further.’ Around 12noon, 185 people boarded aircraft SG723, which flew from the Jayprakash Narayan International Airport to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. However, shortly after take-off, the plane was hit by a bird, which caused one of the plane’s engines to catch fire.