Following the Chinese plane crash, India’s Directorate General of Aviation Surveillance (DGCA) said on Monday that surveillance has been increased on all Boeing 737 fleet. This step has been taken by DGCA at a time when a plane crashed in China on Monday. According to information on the website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (China’s Department of Civil Aviation), 123 people on board were 123 passengers and nine crew members. There is no news of anyone being alive so far.
After the incident, DGCA chief Arun Kumar said, “Flight safety is a serious matter and we are studying the situation closely. In the meantime, we are focused on increasing surveillance of our 737 fleet.”
China Eastern Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 plane crashed in the city of Wuzhou in Tengxian County, causing a fire in the surrounding mountainous area. The plane was going from Kunming to Guanzhou. 123 passengers and nine crew members died in the accident.
China Eastern Airlines – one of China’s three major airlines – has grounded all its Boeing 737-800 aircraft after the crash on Monday.
According to official media reports, none of the 132 people on board were foreigners.
The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is an improved version of the Boeing 737-800 and both belong to the 737 series. US-based aircraft maker Boeing did not respond to PTI’s request for a statement on the matter.
In a six-month period between October 2018 and March 2019, two Boeing 737 MAX planes were involved in crashes that killed a total of 346 people. Following these two accidents, the DGCA banned Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in India in March 2019.
The ban on commercial operation of the aircraft was lifted in August last year after 27 months after Boeing made necessary improvements to the software to the satisfaction of the DGCA.
SpiceJet, Vistara and Air India Express did not respond to PTI’s request for a statement on DGCA’s decision to keep their 737 aircraft under surveillance.
Prime Minister August 2, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia have expressed grief over the plane crash. The US aviation regulator, the FAA, said it was aware of the news that a Boeing 737-800 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines crashed in China this morning. The agency stands ready to assist in the investigation efforts.”