The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Tuesday that 40 Boeing 737 Max planes of domestic carriers have been inspected for possible loose hardware, and a washer was missing in one aircraft where rectification was done. Akasa Air, Air India Express, and SpiceJet collectively operate 40 Boeing 737 Max planes within their fleets.
Boeing had advised a comprehensive one-time inspection of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft before January 10, following information received about a missing nut and washer in the Aft Rudder Quadrant of one of these planes. This precautionary inspection was recommended independently of the incident involving Alaska Airlines and is unrelated to it.
A senior DGCA official stated that inspections on 39 out of the 40 Boeing 737 Max planes owned by the three Indian carriers revealed no issues, except for a missing washer found on one aircraft. They assured that necessary rectification in line with Boeing's recommendations was swiftly carried out before the release of this specific aircraft. The inspection of the remaining aircraft is scheduled to be completed before its service release.
"Rectification action as per recommendations of Boeing has been taken prior to the release of this aircraft. Inspection on the remaining aircraft will be completed prior to release for service," the official said.
(With PTI inputs)
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