The civil aviation secretary added that around 30-35 flights of SpiceJet are likely to be affected on Thursday. SpiceJet has the largest number of the controversial Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
New Delhi: In the wake of the Ethiopian air crash, which killed all 157 on board, SpiceJet has grounded as many as 35 flights, which were the same Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that was involved in the accident.
The decision was taken after the civil aviation secretary Pradeep Kharola convened an emergency meeting to discuss the precarious situation at Rajeev Gandhi Bhawan in New Delhi.
Many airlines faced passenger fury on Wednesday, following these aircraft being grounded that led to mass cancellation.
Also read: India's aviation body grounds all Boeing 737- Max flights after Ethiopian Airlines crash
Speaking to media, Kharola said, "SpiceJet has cancelled 14 flights today. Tomorrow (Thursday) will be challenging for all of us." The airlines had assured that they’ve drawn up multiple plans to deal with it.
The civil aviation secretary added that around 30-35 flights of SpiceJet are likely to be affected on Thursday. SpiceJet has the largest number of the controversial Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
Meanwhile, SpiceJet has assured that it will set up a special cell for passenger complaints. Moreover, Kharola informed all airlines have assured that passenger inconvenience will be minimised.
Also read: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashes with 157 on board: Latest updates
DGCA grounded the Boeing model after a host of countries grounded the controversial aircraft following the Ethiopia plane crash.
So far, 19 countries including China, South Africa, France and the United Kingdom have grounded the Boeing 737-Max aircraft.
Directed Secy to hold an emergency meeting with all Airlines to prepare a contingency plan to avoid inconvenience to passengers. While passenger safety is a zero tolerance issue, efforts are already on to minimise the impact on passenger movement as their convenience is important https://t.co/9ZlJXFzvGY
— Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu)Meanwhile, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Bhullar said, "Two new aircraft of Spicejet will become operational." He further assured that the airlines have been asked by DGCA to keep fares at normal rate. The DGCA also said that SpiceJet will be under its scrutiny.
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