India’s aviation watchdog is cracking down on flight crews operating the once-troubled Boeing 737 MAX
As airlines across the world struggle to find staff now that the aviation sector is rebounding, there’s troubling at Indian budget carrier SpiceJet.
The airline has revealed that the Indian aviation regulator has asked 90 of its pilots to refrain from flying the once-troubled Boeing 737 MAX planes.
The watchdog stated all 90 pilots must be retrained in flying the aircraft, and shall not be able to operate the jet until then.
SpiceJet, which currently operates 11 MAX aircraft and has 144 pilots to fly them, stated that its pilots have been restricted by authorities from operating the jets, until they are retrained and retrained to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s satisfaction.
Indian media reported that the restrictions were imposed after flaws were discovered at a simulator facility near Delhi where they had received training for the Boeing Max jet.
The impacted pilots are still able to operate other types of Boeing 737 aircraft such as the 737-800, and the restriction does not impact MAX operations itself, a SpiceJet spokesperson has confirmed.
The airline is Boeing’s biggest customer in the South Asian nation for MAX planes.
“We are working closely with all parties involved including our supplier and the DGCA to ensure the maintenance and operation of this specific device complies with all regulatory requirements,”
Boeing said in a statement.
“We are committed to ensuring our customers receive high quality simulation experiences in accordance with all regulations.”
Boeing says.
The pilots need to retrain successfully and we will take strict action against those found responsible for the lapse, Arun Kumar, the directorate general at India’s air safety watchdog DGCA, said.
In August, the regulator cleared the 737 MAX aircraft to fly after a near two-and-a-half-year regulatory grounding following two fatal crashes in 2019.
As part of the agreement to return the jets to service, Boeing and regulators agreed to beef up training for pilots to also include simulator training.
