#Boeing737MAX8 grounding: Civil Aviation Ministry holds meeting with all airlines
What's the story
The Civil Aviation Ministry held a meeting with all the airlines in the country to come up with a contingency plan in the backdrop of the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft after the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday. Ministry of Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said they discussed how the airlines plan to "reduce inconvenience" to the passengers. Here's more.
Details
All flights of Boeing 737 MAX 8 grounded before deadline
Following the meeting with all the airlines, Pradeep Singh Kharola said that all flights of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft have been grounded in the country even before the 4:00 pm deadline. "We had a discussion with the airlines as to how they plan to reduce inconvenience to the passengers," the Civil Aviation Secretary said.
Twitter Post
Here's what Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said
Ministry of Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola: As of now, All flights of #Boeing737Max have been grounded, before the deadline of 4 pm. We had a discussion with the airlines as to how they plan to reduce inconvenience to the passengers pic.twitter.com/RbNavlUSwz
— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2019
Information
40 countries either grounded or banned Boeing 737 MAX 8
SpiceJet, earlier on Wednesday, said it has suspended Boeing 737 MAX 8 operations after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to ground the aircraft in India. As many as 40 countries have either grounded or banned the aircraft after the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
Lifting the ban
Ban on aircraft wouldn't be lifted anytime soon: DGCA chief
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief BS Bhullar said that the decision on lifting the ban on Boeing 737 MAX 8 will be based on inputs from various agencies, adding it wouldn't happen soon. The DGCA decided to ground the aircraft late on Tuesday. While SpiceJet reportedly has 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, Jet Airways has five.
SpiceJet
SpiceJet to accommodate all passengers on its own
Kharola said, "Today, SpiceJet has canceled 14 flights, it operates 500-plus flights daily... They've been able to accommodate all passengers on their own." He added, "Tomorrow is going to be a real challenging day, as today grounding came into effect in the second-half." He said SpiceJet will accommodate most passengers on its own and others will help if needed without indulging in "predatory pricing".
Twitter Post
SpiceJet increased the utilization of existing aircraft: Kharola
MoCA Secy: SpiceJet says they've increased the utilisation of existing aircraft.About 30-35 flights will get affected tomorrow. They've assured that no airport that has SpiceJet service will go unserviced. They'll be setting up a special cell to monitor the passengers' complaints pic.twitter.com/MctG8gkNPI
— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2019
MoS Civil Aviation
Boeing 737 MAX 8 services to resume after safety modifications
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, earlier said that Boeing 737 MAX 8 services would be resumed in the country after safety modifications. "After discussions with airlines, regulators, and aircraft manufacturers, we decided last night that these planes be grounded and that their services will be resumed only after safety modifications are done in the aircraft," he said.