Loose Bolts On 737 Max: Checks And Procedures Are On By The Indian Airlines
Indian Airlines have started checking their 737 Max planes following Boeing”s request in the wake of their identification of loose bolts in the rubber control system on a particular aircraft. Akasa, Air India Express, and SpiceJet are checking their 737 Max planes to make sure the bolt is secure.
India”s aviation regulator, DGCA, has been closely watching the developments and in touch with the airlines, Boeing, and the US aviation authority (FAA). The airlines have been instructed to conclude the inspections within 2 hours per plane in order to make sure flights shouldn”t be affected much.
“This has been an ongoing issue with the Max 737, and these are service bulletins issued from time to time by Boeing to the airline operators for the suggested action whenever any issue comes across. We have been in touch with Boeing, FAA, and our airline operators in the past too on such issues concerning the 737 Max,” the DGCA said in a statement.
“In such cases, mitigation as recommended by the original equipment manufacturers is carried out by the airline operator, as has been done in the past with respect to the 737 Max,” it added.
An Akasa Air spokesperson acknowledged the developments, saying, “Like all operators around the world, and in accordance with our highest standards of safety, Akasa will be following the same checks and procedures that the manufacturer or regulator recommends. Our operating fleet and deliveries have not been impacted so far.”
According to a SpiceJet spokesperson, the fresh alert will not affect their operations.
The 737 Max was grounded worldwide in 2019 due to two crashes, but it returned to service in 2021.
This is not a new issue for the 737 Max, as there have been similar problems in the past, and airlines have procedures to fix them. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had mentioned that they were monitoring 737 Max planes for the loose bolt.
The Boeing 737 Max is the fourth generation of the highly successful 737 family, which first entered service in 1968.
