Boeing agrees to ‘settle 737 Max grounding claims,’ plane will return to service: SpiceJet – Times of India

NEW DELHI: American aerospace giant Boeing is on an overdrive in India. A day after getting order for 72 B737 Max from upcoming airline Akasa, SpiceJet on Wednesday said Boeing has agreed to settle longstanding claims over the grounding of this plane since March 2019, paving the way for this aircraft to fly again in India after the required hardware and software modifications to ensure safety.
SpiceJet on Wednesday said it has “has entered into a settlement agreement with Boeing wherein Boeing has agreed to provide certain accommodations and settle the outstanding claims related to the grounding of 737 MAX aircraft and its return to service.” This “paves the way for the induction of efficient and younger MAX aircraft into the company’s fleet and ensures the resumption of new aircraft deliveries from our order of 155 MAX aircraft,” SpiceJet said in a BSE filing Wednesday.
While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had about two months back allowed the Max to fly again in India after carrying out required hardware and software modifications to ensure safety, none of SpiceJet’s 13 Max currently in India have so far resumed flying. Now with SpiceJet reaching a settlement with Boeing, that may finally happen.
The announcement comes a day after billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-promoted Akasa placed an order at the Dubai Air Show for 72 B737 Max valued at $9 billion at list price. SpiceJet had earlier said its Max will start flying from October 5, 2021, but that did not happen.
India had barred the B737 Max from flying to/from/over it on March 13, 2019, as part of the global grounding following two Max crashing — one of Indonesia’s Lion Air and other of Ethiopian Airlines — within five months. In all, 346 people had lost their lives in these two crashes.
Last year, Boeing finalised corrective software and hardware modifications. These changes were vetted and approved by foreign aviation regulators, including those of country of manufacture USA, EU, UAE, Singapore and UAE. India was among the last to approve the changes and allow modified Max to fly again, with China the only major country yet to clear it.
“Worldwide 17 regulators have permitted operation of Boeing 737 Max airplane. A sizeable number airlines (34) with B737 Max airplane (345) are operating currently… since the un-grounding from December 9, 2020, with no untoward reporting,” the Indian DGCA order of August 26, 2021, permitting the Max to fly again in the country says.

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