Indian Aviation Regulator to Question Boeing After Ethiopian Plane Crash

09:59 GMT, 11 March 2019

CC BY 2.0 / Aka The Beav / Boeing 737 MAX roll-out

There are airline carriers in India that have a substantial number of Boeing planes in their fleets. There have already been two fatal air crashes involving these planes with the most recent being the Ethiopian crash that took place on Sunday morning.

Sputnik

New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian aviation watchdog, The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will seek information and clarifications from Boeing in the aftermath of a fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash, according to media reports. DGCA will also have talks with two carriers Jet Airways and SpiceJet who operate the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft within their respective fleets.

It was a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane operated by Ethiopian Airlines that crashed soon after taking off from Addis Ababa around 8:30 am on Sunday morning, killing all 157 on board. Four Indians were among the passengers killed.

DGCA is expected to issue a public notice on Monday.

LIVE UPDATES: Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crashes en Route to Nairobi, 157 on Board

10 March 2019, 08:28 GMT

The Indian regulator's concerns come at a time when China's aviation authorities have grounded their Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets after the Ethiopian crash.

The Ethiopian Airlines crash is the second disaster involving a Boeing 737 Max 8 in the last few months. In October 2018, a Lion Air plane crashed into the sea after takeoff from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. All 189 passengers onboard were killed. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is a new commercial passenger aircraft model made by the US manufacturer.