Indian airline SpiceJet is set to resume the operations of its Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts, which had been grounded in 2019 after 346 people were killed in two tragic plane crashes.
The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation had ordered the grounding of the SpiceJet aircraft in March 2019, after the regulator had received a software complaint.
Speaking to news agency ANI, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh stated:
"737 Max is the safest aircraft in the world, the software rectification was made more than two and half years ago and it has been scrutinized for two years by the regulators around the world. The aircraft has been flying for the last one year in the United States, Europe, Australia and South America and different parts of the world."
As the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is set to spread its wings again on Tuesday, 23 November, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will be a part of the maiden flight from Delhi to Gwalior, Ajay Singh told ANI.
SpiceJet chairman and his family will also be flying on the aircraft on Tuesday. The attendance of the airline owners and the minister on the maiden flight is meant to foster trust and inculcate a sense of safety among potential passengers.
The development comes at a time when reports being circulated on Monday had claimed that certain valuables had been stolen on board a SpiceJet flight. The airline, however, had rubbished the claims.
"An old video from Mar’21 is being circulated on social media regarding alleged pilferage on SpiceJet flight from Dubai to Delhi. The matter had been investigated in March 2021 & no such case of theft was found... Recirculating an old fake video is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the airline and mislead the public," it had said.
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)