New Delhi: SpiceJet on Wednesday cancelled 14 flights after the DGCA issued an order to ground all Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft and banned them from the Indian airspace from 4pm. Sources in the Ministry of Civil Aviation said SpiceJet and Jet Airways had been asked to come up with a plan on how to accommodate passengers and deploy aircraft on scheduled routes, while ensuring that they do not charge extra.
In a statement, SpiceJet said it had already initiated grounding of its Max fleet. “SpiceJet has presently announced cancellation of 14 flights for today and will be operating additional flights from tomorrow,” SpiceJet said in its statement.
A senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday said all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft would be grounded in India by 4pm. The Civil Aviation Ministry will hold a meeting with airlines to prepare a contingency plan as a number of flights have been cancelled, a senior government official said.
“The B737Max operations will stop from/to all Indian airports. 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,” the spokesperson said.
The decision came days after a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by the Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people, including four Indians.
SpiceJet has around 12 such aircraft in its fleet. Jet Airways has five, which have been grounded already.
Comments
0 comment