India's Jet Airways Stops Flying Its Boeing 737 Max After Deadly Ethiopia Crash

Two Indian airlines Jet Airways and Spicejet have a total of 17 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in their fleets. The country's aviation regulator has issued additional measures for Indian operators covering engineering, maintenance, and flight operations after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing crashed.

New Delhi (Sputnik): In the aftermath of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, one of India's largest air carrier Jet Airways has grounded all its five Boeing 737 Max aircraft after the tragic incident killed all passengers on board.

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The announcement by Jet Airways came after several flyers refused to travel on Boeing 737 Max aircraft even if it meant an entire fare wasted.
 Here you go @jetairways @flyspicejet I am sure you guys don’t care even if it meant tragic deaths…

And yes Hi @sureshpprabhu and @jayantsinha Sir… I thought I remind you again that another country decided to put these coffins from @BoeingAirplanes @Boeing down. Wake up now!!! https://t.co/mJGTcmsXc4

— Navin Agarwal (@agarwal_nav) March 12, 2019

"We are currently not flying any of our B737 MAX aircraft. We are also in contact with the manufacturer and the regulator in the context of this development and remain committed to implementing all directives or advisories that may be published by those authorized", Jet Airways tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Hi Navin, we are currently not flying any of our B737 MAX aircraft. We are also in contact with the manufacturer and the regulator in the context of this development and remain committed to implementing all directives or advisories that may be published by those authorized.

— Jet Airways (@jetairways) March 12, 2019

Another Indian airline, Spicejet which has 12 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its inventory did not take a call about whether it will also follow Jet Airways and ground the aircraft.

Earlier on Monday night, India's civil aviation regulator DGCA introduced additional safety measures for Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes after two fatal crash involving the 737 MAX 8 in less than five months. Under the new norms, airlines will have to ensure the captain operating the MAX aircraft has a minimum of 1,000 hours of experience and the co-pilot has 500 hours of experience on 737 planes.

"This is the second fatal accident of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft within a span of five months…The issue has been reviewed in DGCA today along with the Indian operators covering all reported snags/defects of significant nature along with rectification actions taken on these aircraft", the DGCA said Monday.

READ MORE: Boeing to Upgrade Software Across 737 MAX Fleet After Ethiopia Deadly Crash 

The DGCA added that Boeing 737 Max engineers and maintenance personnel must factor in additional checks, particularly those pertaining to the autopilot and stall management systems.