BEIJING/SHANGHAI/Mumbai
China’s aviation regulator on Monday grounded nearly 100 Boeing Co 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by its airlines, more than a quarter of the global fleet of the jets, after a deadly crash of one of the planes in Ethiopia.
An Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 bound for Nairobi crashed minutes after take-off on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board and prompting the carrier to ground the rest of its fleet of the jets.
It was the second crash of the 737 MAX 8, the latest version of Boeing’s workhorse narrowbody jet that first entered service in 2017.
Boeing said it had no reason to issue new guidelines to operators, which have bought 737 MAX airliner after one crashed in Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board.
"The investigation is in its early stages. But at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," Boeing said in a statement on Monday.
"Boeing is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737 MAX 8 airplane," the aircraft manufacturer said.
Meanwhile, Flydubai remains confident in the airworthiness of its Boeing 737 planes, an airline spokeswoman said on Monday, a day after an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 crashed.
Flydubai operates a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, including the MAX 8.
“We are monitoring the situation and continue to be in touch with Boeing,” the spokeswoman said. “The safety of our passengers and crew is our first priority.”
India
Indian Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday issued additional safety instructions to SpiceJet and Jet AirwaysNSE 1.71 % for operating Boeing 737 MAX planes.
The pilot commanding the aircraft should have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience, according to the DGCA directions.
"The DGCA will continue to closely monitor the situation and may impose/ take any other operational/ maintenance measures/ restrictions based on the information received from accident investigation agency/ FAA/ Boeing," the regulator said in a statement.
The watchdog has also asked the airlines to ensure various requirements are complied with by engineering and maintenance personnel with respect to 737 MAX planes.
The operators have to ensure that no B737– 8 MAX aircraft in their fleet is operated without compliance with DGCA's latest directions with effect from 1200 hours on March 12, the statement said.
Jet Airways and SpiceJet fly Boeing 737 MAX planes.Currently, there are 17 Boeing 737 MAX planes that are operating in the country.
Earlier, the aircraft type was reviewed by the DGCA a day after a Lion Air-operated Boeing 737 Max 8 plane with 188 passengers on-board crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from Indonesia's capital Jakarta in October and found "no significant technical issue" with them.
After Indonesian crash, DGCA on a daily basis had monitoried the performance of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft apart from putting in place various measures to ensure there are no safety issues with these planes being operated in India,
Apart from daily monitoring, the airlines wew asked to immediately report any "abnormal" issues related to the plane's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS),
MCAS is a kind of stall-recovery system that is used in Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and generally alerts the pilot in case there is stalling of the plane or fall in speed, among others.