DGCA lifts ban on Boeing 737 MAX airplanes

Order ends more than two years of grounding following two fatal accidents

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday cleared the decks for operating Boeing 737 MAX upon satisfactory compliance to applicable requirements for return of service. The order ending more than two years of grounding would come into immediate effect, aviation sources said. The DGCA had, effective March 13, 2019, banned the operation of the two airplanes following two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 Max airplanes (Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302) and directed that, for the purpose of securing safety, operation of Boeing 737-8 and 737-9 would not take place from/to Indian airports and transit or enter into Indian airspace. In April, the order was relaxed to the extent that foreign registered Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which were grounded in India due to the ban, were permitted to fly out of the country. Also, overflying foreign registered Boeing 737 Max aircraft were allowed to fly over Indian airspace. However, commercial operations in the country remained prohibited.