SpiceJet plans to resume Boeing 737 MAX operations by March

SpiceJet expects to resume Boeing 737 Max aircraft operations by March 2021, nearly two years after the worldwide grounding following two crashes that killed 346 people, sources told CNBC-TV18. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will conduct independent checks and will review processes before the operation resumes in India.

The checks will be conducted after MAX receives a nod from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, sources said.

The Boeing crisis began with a 2018 crash of the jet in Indonesia, followed by another in March 2019 in Ethiopia, which killed a total of 346 people and saw the aircraft taken out of service across the globe.

Boeing will pay more than $2.5 billion in fines and compensation after reaching a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over two plane crashes.

The settlement, which allows Boeing to avoid prosecution, includes a fine of $243.6 million, compensation to airlines of $1.77 billion and a $500 million crash-victim fund over fraud conspiracy charges related to the plane's flawed design.

Brazil was the first country to allow it to return to service, starting with a domestic flight in December by Brazilian budget carrier Gol.

In November 2020, the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also allowed the Boeing Max to fly again. The European Union Aviation Safet, too, has allowed Max to fly, subject to conditions.

Meanwhile, Canadian airline WestJet also recently said that it plans to return its passenger fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to the skies in January. "Our first MAX will be ready to return safely to service as of January 21," company president Ed Sims said in a statement.

The return to service, however, is conditional on regulators reopening Canadian airspace to the jetliner, a decision expected this month after Boeing addressed technical issues and improved pilot training on the MAX.