DGCA has told domestic airlines to complete the inspection by tomorrow noon. (Representational)
New Delhi:
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, has directed the domestic airlines in the country to conduct an immediate inspection of the emergency exits of all Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft.
The precautionary measure taken by the aviation regulator comes after the emergency exit of Alaska Airlines’s aircraft blew open mid-air, minutes after take-off. The DGCA has told domestic airlines to complete the inspection by tomorrow noon.
“DGCA has directed all the Indian air operators to carry out a one-time inspection of the emergency exits immediately on all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft currently operating as part of their fleet,” a DGCA official said.
The official also said that under the Alaska Airlines incident involving Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft, there have been no inputs or guidance from Boeing so far.
It’s important to note that at present, no airlines in India operate the Boeing 737-9 Max, the aircraft involved in the incident. Air India Express, Spice Jet and Akasa Air have the 737-8 Max in their fleet.
The inspection of the emergency exits will not impact the flight schedules, the official said. “The one-time check will be done during the night halt of the aircraft,” the DGCA official told PTI.
Alaska Airlines Mid-Air Scare
The incident took place on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Ontario in Canada. The mid-cabin exit door had separated from the aircraft soon after take-off.
The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members and an investigation is one, Alaska Airlines said.
“While this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation,” it added.
The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 16,325 feet before it was diverted safely back to Portland, real-time aircraft movement monitor Flightradar24 said in a social media post.
The Boeing 737 MAX involved in the incident today was delivered to Alaska Airlines on October 1, 2023, and entered commercial service on November 11, 2023; it had accumulated just 145 flights since then, Flightradar24 said.
The 737-9 MAX series is Boeing’s newest family of single-aisle airplanes. It includes a rear cabin exit door aft of the wings but before the rear exit door. This is activated in dense seating configurations to meet evacuation requirements. The doors are not activated on Alaska Airlines aircraft and are permanently “plugged”, Flightradar24 added.