Let’s cut to the chase. Cellotape, duct tape and gaffer tape can often be the answer for a quick fix for all manner of things – except airplanes.
Now, there are many cases of airlines using tape to fix planes, but it’s usually a heavy-duty aluminium bonding tape called ‘speed tape’ that can cost thousands of dollars per four-inch roll, not cellotape, which can cost as little as 50 cents a roll.
Wrapping presents with cellotape is one thing but using it to mend a plane window wouldn’t exactly instil confidence in the poor passenger who booked said window seat on a long-haul flight.
And yet that is the situation this fellow found himself in just last week.
Spicejet flight SG8152 (VT-SYG) Mumbai to Delhi flying (5 Nov 2019) with a broken window stuck with cello tape. Isn’t it a major safety concern? Anyone listening?@flyspicejet @DGCAIndia pic.twitter.com/8gflCyEBcT
— Hariharan Sankaran (@mahamosam) November 5, 2019
Mr Sankaran sat down to find this on his Spicejet flight from Mumbai to Delhi – a cracked window repaired with cellotape.
When the Indian low-cost carrier saw his post, it replied by saying “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,” posted Spicejet.
It later explained how “The purpose of the inner pane is to protect the window from scratches”, “doesn’t carry structural pressurisation loads” and “that at no point in time was safety compromised”.
Spicejet also posted that the “inner flexi pane and was fixed the same day”.
But it seems that this was not an uncommon finding for Spicejet passengers, with a flurry of Facebook and Twitter posts confirming the carrier’s unhealthy affection for using tape and all manner of ‘Jerry-rigged’ techniques to fix it’s faulty plane parts.
Not just windows …
I don’t know why @flyspicejet alone has its inner windows broken everytime. I had same issue on 6th september 2019 with flight #SG732 besides seat 10F, Really pathetic.#Lowcostcarrier == #Lowsafety Is it so @DGCAIndia pic.twitter.com/CA1RMb152H
— John Joseph (@Johnjos22086460) November 7, 2019
… but armrests too.
Not only windows but they use Cellotape to fix passengers arm rest as well on an international destination flight pic.twitter.com/JXw89ykRQE
— Baibhav Sinha (@BaibhavSinha1) November 7, 2019
It even makes good (debatable) use of seatbelts to strap in dodgy trays.
Spicejet flight SG8719 BLR to Del flying on 4th Nov 2019. There’s a broken armrest, tray table & reclining button. All this was just amongst 3 adjacent seats. I wonder what I’d find if I checked the entire plane. @DGCAIndia please take necessary action before it’s too late. pic.twitter.com/Hy12QbvfYc
— Vinayak Agarwal (@Wenayuck) November 6, 2019
To its credit, the airline uses gaffer tape for heavier duty applications.
SG 86 – BKK – AMD pic.twitter.com/xM1lIopMnd
— Shubham Sharma (@Shubham19305559) November 7, 2019
What would you do if you saw this type of ‘fix’ on your flight?
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