A Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight took off from Gujarat's Rajkot last week without the mandatory take-off permission from Air Traffic Control (ATC) putting at risk the lives of passengers.

India's aviation watchdog, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), launched a probe into the incident against SpiceJet pilots. "The incident happened on December 30, 2021, pilots had not taken mandatory take-off permission from ATC Rajkot. A detailed report has been sent to Airports Authority of India headquarters and the DGCA," the Rajkot Airport Director told ANI.

As per the flight schedule, SG-3703 was on time for taking off for Delhi but it was observed by ATC that without taking the mandatory permission for take-off, the pilots of the aircraft took off for Delhi.

"Through its communication, Rajkot ATC asked the pilots as to how you flew without take-off permission…The pilot in response apologised and said that there was a mistake. This conversation took place when the plane took off," a senior official of the Airport Authority of India told ANI.

As per Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), mandatory take-off permission is required for any aircraft from ATC before the flight takes off, whether the runway is secured or not or any other aircraft not arriving for an emergency.

Following the incident, the pilots of the airline company were put on "off-duty."

"Pilots have been off-rostered pending an inquiry," SpiceJet told ANI.