The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered Indian airlines to conduct an inspection of emergency exits of all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft after a mid-flight incident involving Alaska Airlines in the U.S., where it lost a section of its cabin panel, forcing an emergency landing on Friday.
The Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 turned back minutes into its flight from Portland in Oregon to Ontario in California after an outer section, including a window, fell off on Friday. There were 177 passengers and crew on board, and the aircraft returned safely to Portland.
“As a 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 regulator said in a press statement.
Among Indian carriers, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, and Air India Express operate Boeing 737-8 Max aeroplanes, a variant of the 737-9 Max aeroplane involved in the Alaska Airlines incident.
Alaska Airlines has said that it will temporarily ground all 65 of the 737 Max 9 aircraft in its fleet to conduct inspections. “Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” Alaska Airlines’ CEO Ben Minicucci said.
Boeing said it was aware of the incident and was “working to gather more information”.
