India's aviation authority bars 90 SpiceJet pilots from flying 737 Max Aircraft

New Delhi: For want of proper pilot training, India's aviation authority barred 90 SpiceJet pilots from flying Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the pilots would have to train again on the Max simulator, according to PTI.

The aviation regulator said it would take action against those responsible for the lapse.

DGCA chief Arun Kumar said pilots being barred would have to successfully retrain before flying the aircraft.

The Boeing 737 Max planes had doubted air-worthiness after an Ethiopian Airlines 373 Max aircraft crashed near Addis Ababa killing 157 people including Indians.

Three days after the accident on March 13, 2019 India's DGCA grounded the Boeing 737 Max planes.

In August last year India lifted ban on the aircraft after Boeing made software correction reportedly blamed for the flight crash.

DGCA's conditions to lift ban aircraft included proper pilot training.

A SpiceJet spokesperson confirmed DGCA's ban 90 pilots of the airline.

According to the spokesperson SpiceJet has 650 pilots trained on the Boeing 737 Max, adding that the restriction would not impact the operations of the Max aircraft.

SpiceJet, currently, operates 11 Max aircraft and about 144 pilots are required to operate these aircraft," the spokesperson said.

SpiceJet is the only Indian airline that has the Max aircraft in its fleet, the report said.