90 SpiceJet pilots barred from flying Boeing 737 Max: DGCA

New Delhi, Apr 13: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has barred 90 SpiceJet pilots from operating the Boeing 737 Max aircraft after finding them not properly trained.

90 pilots have been restrained from flying the Boeing 737 MAX. They will have to undergo training again to the satisfaction of DGCA, DGCA Director-General Arun Kumar told ANI.

"For the moment, we have barred these pilots from flying the Max and they have to retrain successfully for flying the aircraft," he added.

He also said that the regulator will take "strict action against those found responsible for the lapse." The pilots will have to undergo training again, in a proper manner, on the Max simulator.

"This restriction does not impact the operations of MAX aircraft whatsoever. SpiceJet currently operates 11 MAX aircraft and about 144 pilots are required to operate these 11 aircraft. Of the 650 trained pilots on the MAX, 560 continue to remain available," said SpiceJet Spokesperson.

The Boeing 737 Max planes were grounded in India by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on March 13, 2019, three days after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max aircraft near Addis Ababa, which killed 157 people, including four Indians.

The ban on the planes was lifted in August last year after the DGCA was satisfied with US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing's necessary software rectifications in the aircraft.

Proper pilot training on the simulator was also among the conditions of the DGCA for removing the ban on the Max planes after a span of 27 months.

SpiceJet is the only Indian airline that has the Max aircraft in its fleet.

Akasa Air, the new airline backed by ace investor Jhunjhunwala and aviation veterans Aditya Ghosh and Vinay Dube, had in November last year signed a deal with Boeing to purchase 72 Max planes. Akasa Air has not got any of these planes as yet.