As many as 90 pilots associated with the SpiceJet airline have been barred from flying the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found that they were not given proper training, DGCA Director-General Arun Kumar told news agency ANI.
Kumar added that they would be taking "strict action" against those responsible for the lapse. The pilots, he said, will have to undergo training again to the satisfaction of DGCA.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from SpiceJet told ANI that the restriction would not impact its operation.
"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," the spokesperson added.
Crucial Programme Did Not Function Properly When Pilots Were Trained
DGCA found that the crucial "manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) was not functioning properly when the 90 pilots were undergoing training," reported The Times of India, citing sources.
MCAS, a controversial flight stabilising programme was found to be responsible for the Lion Air and Ethoipian Airline crashes which took place in October 2018 and March 2019 respectively.
"A part of the system, the 'stick shaker' which vibrates the control column and makes a loud noise when jet risks losing life, was also not working properly when the pilots underwent the training," a source told the publication.
DGCA surveillance on Boeing 737 aircraft run by Indian airlines mounted after a Boeing 737 passenger aircraft operated by a China based airline crashed in the country's Guangxi province last month, killing 132 people who were onboard.
The regulator had prevented Indian airlines from flying the Boeing 737 Max planes on 13 March 2019, after a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed nearly six minutes after it took off from Addis Ababa on 10 March that year. The crash led to killing of 157 passengers of which four were Indians.
The ban was lifted in August 2021 after DCGA was satisfied with the software updates made in Boeing flights.
Indian airlines including Vistara, SpiceJet, Air India Express operate Boeing 737 planes of the US aircraft manufacturer.
(With inputs from The Times of India, ANI)
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