Disha Shah Ghosh - Mumbai In response to safety concerns surrounding Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had directed airlines to conduct immediate inspections of emergency exits. This precautionary measure follows an incident involving the door plug of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max-9 aircraft, leading to the grounding of all such aircraft by the airline.
The DGCA reported that satisfactory inspections have been completed on Boeing 737 Max-8 planes operated by Air India Express, Spicejet, and Akasa. Notably, none of the Indian air operators currently have the Boeing 737-9 Max variant in their fleets.
The global grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft for 20 months after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 has heightened concerns over their safety. The recent incident involving Alaska Airlines prompted the DGCA to instruct Indian air operators to conduct one-time emergency exit inspections on all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft.
Boeing had previously urged carriers to inspect all B737 Max aircraft following the discovery of a missing nut on a bolt during routine maintenance by an international operator.
Both Akasa Air and SpiceJet have confirmed that thorough inspections were carried out on their Boeing 737 Max fleets, with no adverse findings. They emphasized that their flight operations remained unaffected during this period. The focus on safety measures underscores the aviation industry’s commitment to ensuring the continued safe operation of these aircraft.
