The mid-air Holi celebrations of the crew of SpiceJet, a low cost Indian airline, on Monday, March 17 resulted in a show cause notice by the Director General of Civil Aviation.

The notice states that airline has violated air safety regulations as the pilot left the cockpit unnecessarily, the dance and song performance affected the preparedness of the crew and the frequent movement of the dancing crew disturbed the center of gravity of the aircraft.

However, the airline officials maintain that the mid-air Holi celebration did not violate any air safety guidelines.  The cockpit was manned even though the co-pilot stepped out.  The Holi performance was pre-planned and five extra crew members, specially trained for this choreographed performance, were on board.  Therefore, preparedness of the crew members was not affected at all.

SpiceJet official statement said that this sort of performances are not new in the airline industry.  Several airlines celebrate special occasions for delight of the passengers.

Some media sources report that the airline has suspended the involved pilot and co-pilot.

The post SpiceJet Denies Violating Air Safety Rules, Defends Mid-Air Holi Celebrations first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.