The DGCA said that the inspection has been ordered as a precautionary measure after Alaska Airlines mishap.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked Indian air operators to conduct a one-time inspection of emergency exits on Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft from by Sunday noon, reported news agency ANI.
The DGCA directive to the Indian airlines came in view of the Alaska Airlines incident in which an exit door of a Boeing 737 -9 Max aircraft blew out mid-air.
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In a statement, the DGCA noted that while none of the Indian airlines have Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft in their fleet, they have been to conduct mandatory checks on their Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft as a precautionary measure.
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“Pursuant to the Alaska Airlines incident involving Boeing 737 -9 Max aircraft, there have been no inputs /guidance from Boeing so far. None of the Indian air operators have Boeing 737-9 Max as part of their fleet yet. However, as an abundant precautionary measure, DGCA has directed all the Indian air operators to carry out a one-time inspection of the emergency exits immediately on all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft currently operating as part of their fleet,” the DGCA statement read.
Meanwhile, Boeing, the company that makes the Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft has come out with a statement, saying it is aware of the incident and that a technical team is ready to assist Alaska airlines in its investigation.
“Aware of the incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight AS1282. We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline customer. A Boeing technical team stands ready to support the investigation,” the Boeing wrote on ‘X’.
Earlier on Friday night, the Alaska Airlines passenger plane Boeing 737-9 Max blew out mid-air, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport.
Videos shared by social media users showed the exit door of the aircraft completely open as passengers wore emergency oxygen masks.
The incident took place soon after the flight AS1282 from Portland to Ontario took off and the airlines said it landed safely with 171 passengers and six crew members.
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