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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed on Monday that checks on all over-wing emergency exits of Boeing B737-8 Max aircraft have been satisfactorily completed by all aircraft operators.
This announcement follows a directive from DGCA on Saturday, instructing airlines to conduct a one-time inspection of all Boeing 737-8 aircraft in their fleet after an Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing due to one of its doors blowing open mid-air on Friday. A senior official said that as a precautionary measure, DGCA, on January 6, directed all Indian operators with Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft to inspect the operation and proper closing of all over-wing emergency exits within 24 hours. "These checks have been satisfactorily performed on the fleet of operational Boeing B737-8 Max aircraft by Air India Express (4), Spicejet (8), and Akasa (20). Akasa Air's fleet includes one B737-8200 aircraft, on which the operational check has also been completed satisfactorily," the official said. The incident involving Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft on January 5, 2024, resulted in an in-flight departure of a mid-cabin door plug, causing rapid decompression of the aeroplane. While India currently doesn't have B737-9 Max aircraft in its fleet, there are 43 B737 MAX planes operated by various airlines in the country. DGCA mentioned on Saturday that, following the Alaska Airlines incident, there have been no inputs or guidance from Boeing so far. None of the Indian air operators have Boeing 737-9 Max as part of their fleet yet. However, as an abundant precautionary measure, DGCA has directed all Indian air operators to conduct a one-time inspection of the emergency exits immediately on all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft currently operating in their fleet. (ANI)
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