All Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft to be grounded by 4 pm today: DGCA

Civil Aviation Ministry has given direction to SpiceJet to ground all its Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft before 4 pm today. Keeping Ethiopian Airlines incident in mind, the ministry will also hold a meeting with airlines today to prepare an emergency plan.

New Delhi: All the Boeing 737-MAX aircraft of SpiceJet will be grounded before 4 pm on Wednesday. The Civil Aviation Ministry will hold a meeting with airlines to prepare a contingency plan as a number of flights have been cancelled, a Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said.

• Additionally no B737 Max aircraft will be allowed to enter or transit Indian airspace effective 1600hrs IST or 1030 UTC. The time line is to cater to situations where aircraft can be positioned at maintenance facilities & international flights can reach their destinations.(2/2)

  — Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) March 13, 2019

Read:| US to take 'immediate' action on Boeing jet if needed: official

India's Aviation watchdog DGCA has banned Boeing 737-Max planes from the Indian airspace. A statement by DGCA said, “Additionally no B737 Max aircraft will be allowed to enter or transit the Indian airspace effective 1600hrs Indian time or 1030 UTC.”

"The time line is to cater to situations where aircraft can be positioned at maintenance facilities and international flights can reach their destinations," a senior DGCA official said.

DGCA directs all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft to be grounded by 4 pm today

In a statement issued by SpiceJet on Wednesday said, 'SpiceJet has suspended Boeing 737 Max operations following DGCA's decision to ground the aircraft."

Read:| Boeing 737 from Addis to Nairobi crashes, deaths reported

"We are confident of accommodating the vast majority of our passengers and minimise inconvenience," the airline added.

The Ethiopian Airlines incident on Sunday was the 2nd such crash involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in less than five months.