After two years, India allows B-737 Max with restrictions

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday allowed the Boeing 737 Max aircraft to fly again under certain conditions.

The order issued by the DGCA has made certain exceptions to the previous order of March 13 2019, banning all operations of B737 Max in India.

However, the use of Boeing 737 Max aircraft for commercial use will remain prohibited in India.

The DGCA has put the condition for the use of B737 Max plane that those overflying from India airspace and those being readied for return to service and belonging to lessors have been exempted and can be flown away from India.

"Foreign registered Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which are currently grounded in India, for performing Operational Readiness flight followed by ferry flight outside India, subject to obtaining permission from the regulatory authority of the State of Registry and DGCA for the conduct of such flights and subject to fulfilling such conditions as may be considered necessary by DGCA for the safety of operations," the DGCA order read.

In India, SpiceJet has 13 B737 max aircraft and Jet Airways has five aircraft. A total of 18 B-737 max aircraft has been grounded in India after the order issued by India's aviation watchdog in 2019.

After the order issued by the DGCA, many airlines, primarily from the Middle East, are available to use Indian airspace for their schedule/charter operations.

Meanwhile, DGCA made it very clear if any person who fails to comply with the order will liable for action under the Aircraft Act, 1934 and the rules made thereunder.

The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was grounded by the DGCA for almost two years because of two deadly crashes in a span of five months.

In October 2018, the newest member of Boeing's 737 narrow-body family- 737 Max crashed in the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. Then another aircraft of the same model crashed in Ethiopia in March 2019. In both these plane accidents, 346 people lost their lives. Investigations into the crashes revealed errors in the functioning of the jet's piloting system, lapses in Boeing's safety standard procedures and cover-ups by company officials.

( With inputs from ANI )