Domestic airlines in India have been asked by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to immediately carry out inspection of emergency exits of all Boeing 737-8 Max planes as an 'abundant precautionary measure". The directive has been issued in wake of Alaska Airlines plane incident when its outer section including a window fell off in mid-air scare.
"One-time emergency exit checks" should mandatorily be carried out by all operators by noon on January 7, a senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed.
According to officials, the inspection will be done during the night halt to avoid any impact on scheduled flights. Airlines including Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Air India Express together operate 40 Being 737-Max planes.
In their fleets, Akasa Air has 22 Max planes, SpiceJet has more than 10 such planes and Air India Express has 9 such aircraft.
"We do not have any 737-9 Max in our fleet. SpiceJet will adhere to the DGCA directive on the Max-8," a SpiceJet spokesperson said.
Indian carriers do not have Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft in their fleets now. The DGCA official said the latest directive is an abundant precautionary measure.
"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," the official said.
There have been no inputs or guidance from Boeing so far after Alaska Airlines incident, the Aviation watchdog further informed.
With inputs from PTI
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