Majority of passengers are being accommodated on other flights, while others are offered full refund by SpiceJet
After Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) banned Boeing 737 Max 8 from the Indian airspace, following two fatal crashes as of March 2019, SpiceJet has cancelled 14 flights. "SpiceJet has presently announced cancellation of 14 flights for today and will be operating additional flights from tomorrow," SpiceJet said in its statement.
The civil aviation ministry has also called for an emergency meeting at 4 pm to discuss the situation. Airlines, meanwhile, will prepare a contingency plan to cope up with the cancellation of flights, said a senior official.
India has now joined the global suspension wave of Boeing 737 MAX planes, after 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people on board. Currently, two Indian airlines fly the Boeing 737 Max 8 Aircraft, including Jet Airways (5 planes) and SpiceJet (12 planes).
"We are confident of minimising the inconvenience to our passengers and attain normalcy in our operations", SpiceJet said in its statement.
"While a majority of passengers affected as a result of these cancellations have been accommodated by SpiceJet on alternate flights, rest have been offered a full-refund," it said in its statement.
On Tuesday, the ministry of civil aviation tweeted saying, "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations."
The DGCA has given a 4pm deadline to ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircrafts in India.
(Edited by Nehal Solanki)
Also read: Ethiopian Airlines crash: India bans Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes
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