New Delhi: A day after the Aviation watchdog DGCA issued additional safety instructions to SpiceJet and Jet Airways – the two Indian carriers that operate Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, domestic carrier SpiceJet today claimed that it has already implemented precautionary measures while flying the 'highly sophisticated' Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is 'highly sophisticated'
As per the DGCA directions issued on Monday, the pilot commanding Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft should have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience.
"The Boeing 737 MAX is a highly sophisticated aircraft. It has flown hundreds of thousands of hours globally and some of the world’s largest airlines are flying this aircraft," said Spicejet in an official statement.
The airline further said, "We are actively engaged with both Boeing and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and will continue to put safety first, as always. We have already implemented all additional precautionary measures as directed by the DGCA yesterday."
Whereas, according to Jet Airways, all its 737-800 MAX aircraft are grounded as the airline negotiates a financial crunch. Currently, SpiceJet has 12 of these planes and is the only Indian carrier operating this type of aircraft. Jet Airways has five of these planes.
In a statement, Boeing said its “technical team will be traveling to the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Euthiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board”.
It is to be noted that DGCA has allowed SpiceJet to continue flying its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet at a time when China, Singapore, Australia and many others across the globe are grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8 jets.
A total of 157 passengers including four Indians were killed on last Sunday when a Boeing 737 MAX plane operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed soon after taking off from Addis Ababa.
