No significant technical issues with Boeing 737 MAX 8 with Indian carriers: DGCA

Our Bureau Updated - October 31, 2018 at 01:02 PM.

Our Bureau

There are no significant technical issues with the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft being operated by Jet Airways and SpiceJet, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation said on Tuesday after reviewing the aircraft with the two Indian carriers.

DGCA officials declined to get in to what exactly they meant by “no significant technical issues” with the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. However, pilots that

BusinessLine spoke to said that this meant there are no reported technical issues on the fleet of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in operation in the country.

The review comes less than 24 hours after Lion Air’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft crashed in Indonesia on Monday. The Lion Air aircraft lost contact with ground control a few minutes after take-off from Jakarta and was last tracked crossing the sea.

All the 188 passengers and crew on the Lion Air flight are believed to have been killed in the crash. In a tweet, the Indian Embassy in Indonesia said: “most unfortunate that Indian pilot Bhavye Suneja who was flying JT 610 also lost his life. Embassy is in touch with the crisis centre and coordinating for all assistance.”

In a statement, the DGCA said Boeing had communicated to its worldwide operators including Jet Airways and Spicejet that it did not recommend any action at this time.

The statement adds that the six Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft with the two Indian carriers have accumulated 4,000 hours since their induction in June.

Jet Airways, which has five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, inducted its first aircraft in June while SpiceJet received the first of its 155 firm orders for this variety of aircraft earlier this month.

Published on October 30, 2018 15:39