The Indian aviation authority, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is set to approve the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to operate within the region again since its grounding in 2019.
The DGCA was satisfied by the aircraft’s performance, which was already cleared by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The 737 MAX also met India’s additional requirements, which included establishing a simulator of the aircraft within the country.
According to a spokesman of the DGCA, a decision regarding ungrounding of the MAX aircraft is awaited soon.
Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet is the only Indian airline operating the aircraft with 13 Boeing 737 MAXs grounded within its fleet. It is negotiating with Boeing for compensation over the losses incurred by the aircraft’s forced inoperability.
It is rumored that Indian investor-tycoon Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is considering ordering 100 Boeing 737 MAXs for his new ultra-low-cost carrier venture Akasa Air.
Currently, Boeing is conducting test flights in China for the recertification of its 737 MAX. China and India are the only significant aviation markets globally that are yet to approve the aircraft.
Getting approval from the Indian authorities would help Boeing achieve further stability from the turbulent grounding of its aircraft for the past two years and potentially generate more orders in the vital aviation markets within Asia.