DGCA may decide on Boeing 737 Max airworthiness in 2-3 months

A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. | Representative Image

India’s aviation regulator is examining whether Boeing 737 Max planes – grounded worldwide in 2019 after two crashes – will be allowed to fly again in the country and will take two to three months to decide, a senior official told Moneycontrol.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is conducting pilot training, flight testing and software testing on the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the official said.

“We have received requests from three entities on the progress of reinstating the Boeing 737 Max airplanes and we are in the process of carrying out tests before allowing the planes to operate,” the official said.

Aviation regulators in the US and Europe have already approved the aircraft for flying with extensive fixes.

The airworthiness directive issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration for 737 Max aircraft operators requires installation of new flight control computer software, a flight manual that incorporates new and revised flight crew procedures, installation of new Max display system software and performing operational readiness flights, among others.

The DGCA allowed Boeing 737 Max aircraft to fly over Indian airspace in April and also said foreign registered aircraft could be ferried out of the country. However, the aviation watchdog has not lifted the ban on the aircraft that’s been grounded in India since March 2019.

The DGCA banned Boeing 737 Max planes from operating in Indian skies after a Lion Air Max aircraft crashed in October 2018 and one operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa in March 2019, killing 157 people, including four Indians.

In India, SpiceJet and Jet Airways operated Boeing Max aircraft before the ban. SpiceJet has 13 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in its fleet and placed orders for 142 additional aircraft, whose deliveries were halted.

SpiceJet has so far sought compensation of Rs 1,232.25 crore from Boeing for the grounding of the 737 Max planes. However, if the ban on the aircraft is lifted, SpiceJet and Boeing can renegotiate a deal, market experts said.

“If the Boeing 737 Max is allowed to operate in India again, SpiceJet would have the upper hand in its negotiations with Boeing to once again commence deliveries of the new 737 Max planes,” a senior aviation and defence market expert said.

With Jet Airways looking to return to the Indian skies following completion of its bankruptcy process, the airline has started talking to Boeing for procurement of aircraft, according to news reports.

Akasa, a planned new airline backed by investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, is said to be in talks with Boeing to buy as many as 100 737 Max aircraft, news reports said.