Edited by Deepali Verma
The US aviation regulator’s decision to restrict an expansion in manufacturing of the controversial Boeing 737 Max aircraft could be bad news for Bharat’s airlines. Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air have already placed orders for hundreds of variants of the jet.
Boeing is under intense scrutiny over its quality control practices in the aftermath of a near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight three weeks ago when a panel blew out mid-air. The aircraft managed to land safely with only minor injuries to passengers. That January 5 incident on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 followed months of earlier, smaller problems with the same aircraft.
The Alaska Airlines episode highlights the more serious operational problem for Boeing after its two crashes on 737 MAX 8 planes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in 346 casualties and led to an extended grounding of the jet.
The US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, has now come out with a ruling that states Boeing cannot continue producing the controversial aircraft until it gets its act together. “We will not be in agreement to any request from Boeing for an expansion in production or give nod to an additional production line for the 737 MAX until we are completely satisfied with the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved,” the statement from FAA read.
This announcement has the potential to bring forth significant challenges for Bharatiya airlines, such as Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, which have collectively placed orders for close to hundreds of variants of the Boeing 737 Max. Air India Express has orders for 181 737 Max aircraft as part of a $70 billion deal signed in 2023, while Akasa Air and SpiceJet have orders for 204 and 142 Max jets respectively.
Bharat’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), having already inspected all Boeing 737 Max aircrafts in service presently, has raised safety concerns. The certain implications of the FAA’s decision on Bharatiya airlines remain shaky, but it could potentially impact Boeing’s plans to set up a new manufacturing line for the 737 Max.
