India grounds Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in light of Ethiopian Airlines crash- All you need to know
European Union’s aviation safety agency EASA suspended all flights in the bloc by Boeing 737.
India has banned the use of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft by the country's airline companies in light of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on Sunday. The Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted on Tuesday evening that DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. This comes after many countries including the European Union suspended the operations of these airplanes.
Earlier on Tuesday, DGCA has allowed SpiceJet to continue flying its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet. SpiceJet has around 12 such aircraft in its fleet, while Jet Airways has five, which are currently grounded.
On Sunday, a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa killing 157 people, including four Indians.
The European Union’s aviation safety agency EASA suspended all flights in the bloc by Boeing’s 737-8 and 737-9 airplanes following the Sunday’s deadly plane crash in Ethiopia. Earlier major European including nations Britain, Germany and France have joined a wave of suspensions. Turkey, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Oman had also temporarily suspended the aircraft, following China, Indonesia and others the day before.
Meanwhile, Indian Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has directed the MCA secretary to hold an emergency meeting with airlines officials to prepare a contingency plan.
"Directed Secy to hold an emergency meeting with all Airlines to prepare a contingency plan to avoid inconvenience to passengers. While passenger safety is a zero tolerance issue, efforts are already on to minimise the impact on passenger movement as their convenience is important." he tweeted.
Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted on Tuesday evening, "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations."
"As always, passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety" it added.
SpiceJet has around 12 such aircraft in its fleet, while Jet Airways has five, which are currently grounded.
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Earlier, SpiceJet has assured that it will put the safety of its passengers at priority.
A SpiceJet statement said, "Boeing 737 MAX is a highly sophisticated aircraft. It has flown hundreds of thousands of hours globally & some of the world’s largest airlines are flying this aircraft. We are actively engaged with both Boeing and the DGCA & will continue to put safety first, as always."
Spicejet has said that all 12 of its MAX 8s were currently flying and the company has ordered another 155 MAX planes.
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The European Union's aviation safety agency EASA suspended all flights in the bloc by Boeing's 737-8 and 737-9 aircraft following Sunday's deadly plane crash in Ethiopia. "EASA has decided to suspend all flight operations of the two affected models," the agency said in a statement.
EASA said it was "suspending all flight operations of all Boeing Model 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX aeroplanes in Europe" from 1900 GMT. It was also "suspending all commercial flights performed by third-country operators into, within or out of the EU of the above mentioned models."
Earlier Major European nations Britain, Germany and France have joined a wave of suspensions. Turkey, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Oman had also temporarily suspended the aircraft, following China, Indonesia and others the day before.
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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday took a dig at the aeroplane manufacturers for making "far too complex" planes and said that "computer scientists" are required to fly them.
Trump tweeted: "Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products."
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"Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are...needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain," he tweeted.
"I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!", his tweet further reads.
US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) had not demanded any further action related to 737 MAX operations. The FAA told international carriers on Monday there was no need to ground the plane but it would mandate a software upgrade and training changes by April. Boeing confirmed late on Monday that it will roll out those changes in the coming weeks.
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A 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa killing 157 people, including four Indians on Sunday. The cause of the crash, which followed another disaster with a 737 MAX five months ago in Indonesia that killed 189 people, remains unknown.
October's Lion Air crash is also unresolved but attention has focused so far on the role of a software system designed to push the plane down as well as airline training and maintenance. Boeing says it plans to update the software in coming weeks. There is no evidence yet whether the two crashes are linked.
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