Boeing 737 MAX-8 Jets : Airlines around the world ground this Flight After Ethiopian Airlines crash, But Why not India ...???

Within the duration of these Five months two deadly plane crashes killing 346 people owing to Boeing 737 Max-8 jets and several countries globally has compelled to ground these flights from their aviation systems. On Sunday, an aircraft of this model operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed in Addis Ababa killing all 157 passengers and crew on board, including four Indians.That came after a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 plunged into the Java Sea in October, killing the 189 people aboard.

Aviation regulators from China to Britain have grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, joining a growing list of countries suspending the plane’s operation and banning it from their airspace after the second deadly crash of the popular aircraft. Noting "similarities" between the two incidents, China's civil aviation administration said operation of the model would only resume after "confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety". This is a big blow for Boeing since China is an important market, accounting for about one-fifth of worldwide deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX models.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency on Tuesday said it “is taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of passengers.” Its decision not only applies to airlines within the European Union but by operators outside of the region flying to or from the region, the regulator said on a report.

Several European countries took similar action earlier Tuesday, a day after the Federal Aviation Administration said it did not see a reason to ground the best-selling Boeing jet. Boeing noted that the FAA decided not to ground the planes, saying it wasn’t planning to issue new guidance to pilots “based on the information currently available. We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets,” Boeing said. “We’ll continue to engage with all of them to ensure they have all the information they need to have the confidence they need safely continue to operate their fleets or return them to service.”

Boeing shares were down more than 6 percent in afternoon trading.

But the bad news for the US plane maker does not end there. Monday also saw Indonesia, Mongolia and Ethiopia temporarily ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8s while South Korea joined the list today. Going a step further, Singapore and Australia have temporarily suspended operations of this aircraft in and out of their airports.

In addition, several carriers, including Cayman Airways, South African airline Comair, Aeromexico and Brazil's Gol Airlines, have independently decided to suspend operations of this aircraft model pending reviews while pilots with Argentina’s Aerolineas Argentinas have reportedly flatout refused to fly the jet. In all, at least 25 carriers around the world have grounded their 737 MAX 8s so far.

But, according to New York Times, at least 18 carriers, including Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada, all boasting over 20 of this aircraft model, continued to fly them till Monday. It estimates that around 195 of these planes out of a total of around 350 continue to be in service.

After the U.K. issued its statement about the planes, President Donald Trump on Tuesday tweeted: “Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. “I see it all the time in many products,” he said. “Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better.”

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenberg spoke with Trump after the tweets, saying he was confident in the plane, according to someone briefed on the call who asked not to be identified because the discussion was private.

A growing number of aviation regulators and airlines around the world have decided to temporarily ground the planes, of which there are more than 370 in fleets worldwide, pending more information about the Ethiopian Airlines crash. China, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and airlines in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina have grounded the planes.

The U.K.’s measure would affect flights of low-cost airlines Norwegian Air Shuttle and Ryanair and Icelandair.

Why not India ...???

In India, Boeing 737 Max 8s are operated by two airliners - Jet Airways and SpiceJet. Jet Airways owns five of these planes, but all of them were previously grounded due to the airline's financial troubles. But SpiceJet continues to fly its fleet of 13 Max 8s.

India's aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it had reviewed recent snags and defects reported in the Indian Boeing 737 Max 8s and had found "no significant concern". However, it issued strict safety guidelines for flying these planes yesterday. Among other things, the regulator said that pilots flying these planes must have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience while the minimum experience level for co-pilot is 500 hours.

What is the problem with these planes?

The 737 is hailed as the best-selling airliner in history - and the Max is the newest, most fuel efficient version. However, comparisons with the previous crash -  last October a Max 8 flight operated by Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea killing all 189 people on board - has  spurred safety concerns.

According to The Indian Express, in both fatal flights, the pilots tried to return to the airport a few minutes after takeoff but were not able to make it back. And both flights experienced drastic fluctuations in vertical speed during ascent, while negative vertical speeds should typically be recorded only when an aircraft is about to reach its destination and departs from cruising altitude.

Could a problem with the new software system on these planes -- the manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) - be another common factor? In the case of the Lion Air crash, a malfunction had prompted MCAS to command a dive and the pilots were not able to correct it. Only time, and further investigations, will reveal exactly what went wrong in the Addis Ababa crash.

What is Boeing doing about this scare?

The company issued a statement yesterday outlining software enhancements it has been working on "to make an already safe aircraft even safer". The list includes updates to the MCAS flight control law, pilot displays, operation manuals and crew training. "The enhanced flight control law incorporates angle of attack (AOA) inputs, limits stabilizer trim commands in response to an erroneous angle of attack reading, and provides a limit to the stabilizer command in order to retain elevator authority,” said the company. "Boeing has been working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on development, planning and certification of the software enhancement, and it will be deployed across the 737 MAX fleet in the coming weeks. The update also incorporates feedback received from our customers."

Lori Bassani, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents flight attendants at American Airlines, said crew members don’t have to fly these planes if they do not feel comfortable doing so. Airlines said they were not changing their ticket-change fees or costs for travelers wishing to switch flights to avoid the Boeing 737 Max.

“No flight attendant is forced to fly if they feel unsafe in any situation,” she said. American operates 24 of the aircraft.

The airline’s pilots union is demanding at least some information about the latest crash and told its pilots Tuesday: “if you feel it is unsafe to work the 737 Max, you will not be forced to fly it.

Spokesman Dennis Tajer said the union is demanding more information about the crash. Investigators in Ethiopia have recovered the so-called black boxes that contain flight data and cockpit voice recordings. “The maybes aren’t going to cut it,” he said on the report.