The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday launched an investigation into Thursday's incident wherein SpiceJet's Max aircraft conducted an emergency landing at the Mumbai airport after one of its engines faced a technical issue. The plane -- which has registration number VT-MXE -- will remain grounded till it is cleared by the DGCA, its chief Arun Kumar told PTI.

Moreover, the regulator has asked the airline, aircraft manufacturer Boeing and engine maker CFM to join the probe and provide all information regarding the engine snag that happened on Thursday, Kumar mentioned. In a statement regarding the incident, the budget carrier's spokesperson had said on Thursday, "SpiceJet flight SG- 467 operating Mumbai-Kolkata returned back to Mumbai after take-off due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely in Mumbai."

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All Max planes were grounded in India by the DGCA on March 13, 2019, three days after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX plane near Addis Ababa, which had left 157 people, including four Indians, dead. After Boeing made necessary software rectifications, the DGCA had on August 26 this year lifted the ban on Max planes' commercial flight operations. SpiceJet resumed operating its Max planes for commercial flight operations last month.

SpiceJet, the only operator of Max planes in the country, had signed a USD 22 billion deal with Boeing for 205 aircraft in 2017 and has 13 of these planes in its fleet at present.

First Published:Dec 10, 2021 5:15 PM IST