The FAA has asked airlines to inspect B737 planes that have not flown for 7 days or more (Representation)
New Delhi:
Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered Indian airlines to inspect their fleet’s Boeing B737 aircraft after the US aviation regulator FAA issued an emergency directive on the matter on Friday, officials said .
Three Indian airlines – SpiceJet, Air India Express and Vistara – have B737 planes in their fleets.
The emergency directive was “caused by four single-engine shutdowns” due to compromised air check valves in the engines of some B737 aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in its emergency directive.
The FAA has asked airlines to inspect their B737 planes that have not flown for seven days or more and those that have not made more than 10 flights after they are returned to service.
A senior DGCA official said the Indian regulator had asked Indian carriers SpiceJet, Vistara and Air India Express to inspect their B737 planes in accordance with FAA instructions. Another official from the Civil Aviation Authority said that the inspection of some of the Indian planes had already been carried out by their owner airlines.
Boeing, in a statement, said: “As a precaution, Boeing has advised operators of 737 Classic (-300 to -500 series) and next-generation 737 (-600 to -900 series) aircraft to inspect a valve engine. for corrosion. With airplanes being stored or used infrequently due to declining demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the valve may be more susceptible to corrosion. “
Boeing is providing inspection and replacement information to fleet owners if they discover a problem, he added.
SpiceJet spokesman said the FAA airworthiness directive (AD) applies to a small number of 737s in its fleet that have not yet completed 10 cycles when the aircraft returns to service.
“They are currently being inspected. The majority of our planes have already completed 10 cycles and are not affected by this AD,” added the SpiceJet spokesperson.
Regarding this, the spokesperson for Vistara said: “Vistara is in compliance with the directive. The engine inspection of our six B737 aircraft has already been completed.”
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
