Air India Express completes Boeing 737 MAX inspection
Air India Express has completed the inspection of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft following an advisory from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. In a response to query from Mint, an airline spokesperson said the company’s engineering team completed the inspection as directed by the DGCA.
“We are aware of the recent incident involving a Boeing aircraft of Alaska Air. The aircraft involved is a different variant from the B737-8 operated by Air India Express. We are in touch with Boeing for more information regarding this, as well with our regulators and will comply with any advisory,” the spokesperson said. The airline has nine B737-8 aircraft in its fleet.
The development comes after images on social media showed Alaska Airlines flight 1282, a Boeing 737-9 MAX, with a large hole in its side and passengers using oxygen masks. The flight returned to Portland shortly after taking off for Ontario, California, on 5 January. Following this, the US Federal Aviation Administration ordered a temporary grounding of over 170 Boeing B737-9 MAX aircraft for inspection.
“Pursuant to the Alaska Airlines incident involving Boeing 737 -9 Max aircraft, there have been no inputs or guidance from Boeing so far,” the DGCA said.
“None of the Indian air operators have Boeing 737-9 Max as part of their fleet yet. However, as an abundant precautionary measure, DGCA has directed all the Indian air operators to carry out a one-time inspection of the emergency exits immediately on all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft currently operating as part of their fleet,” the regulator added. It asked Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Air India Express to inspect all their 737 MAX aircraft.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Published: 07 Jan 2024, 04:08 PM IST
