New Delhi: Low-budget airline carrier SpiceJet launched at least eight flights using the Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, overstepping aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)’s order on Tuesday night banning the aircraft, following its involvement in two recent fatal air crashes.
While two of the Boeing 737 Max 8 in question were returning from abroad — Dubai-Kochi and Hong Kong to Delhi — the rest of the flights took off within India, CNBC-TV18 reported.
India on Tuesday grounded the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft by the country's airline companies following a deadly crash in Ethiopia involving the US passenger jet. "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations," the ministry of civil aviation said in a tweet.
Soon after the DGCA order was passed, SpiceJet, which has 12 Boeing Max 737 8 planes in its legion, claimed it has suspended all its Boeing 737 Max operations.
“Safety and security of our passengers, crew and operations are of utmost importance to us and we will be working with the regulator and the manufacturer to attain normalcy in our operations. We are confident of accommodating the vast majority of our passengers and minimise inconvenience," the airline said on Tuesday night. The airline released a separate statement on Twitter too, saying it has suspended Max 8 operations “from today onwards".
CNBC-TV18's request for a comment by a Spicejet spokesperson is yet to be addressed. However, the airline is receiving a lot of flak on social media for violating the DGCA order.
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