DGCA orders safety evaluation of Akasa Air's Boeing 737s, airline says no operational impact

Following instructions from the aviation authority to Indian airlines on the safety assessment of B737s equipped with Collins Aerospace's rudder control system, Akasa Air, whose fleet entirely consists of 25 Boeing 737s (B737s), will evaluate the safety of its 14 aircrafts.

However, Akasa Air maintained that it won't have an impact on its operations.

"Akasa Air has acknowledged the recommendations made by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and by Boeing," a spokesperson for the airline said.

"The identified issue does not impact our operations, and Akasa can confirm that there will be no disruptions to our flight schedule as a result of the latest DGCA / Boeing advisories," he added.

A comparable safety audit of five of Air India Express's 88 aircraft will be carried out.

On Oct 7, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered the Indian carriers to carry out a safety risk assessment of the B737 aircraft that are outfitted with the rudder control system manufactured by Collins Aerospace.

Additionally, the regulator has temporarily prohibited these B737 aircraft from deploying "CAT III B systems" at airports in India.

With decision heights as low as 50 cm or even without one, the CAT III B system is an advanced instrument landing system that enables aircraft to land safely in extremely low visibility situations by using automated controls.

This implies that these B737 aircraft won't be able to land at Indian airports on foggy days because the CAT III B system won't be able to assist them, if the DGCA directive is kept in force this winter.

The 88 aircraft in the fleet of Air India Express, the low-cost airline branch of Air India, are B737 and A320 family models.

"Only five of the aircraft in our fleet are affected by the advisory regarding the Boeing 737 rudder system. In accordance with the regulations, we have started the compliance process," the company's spokesperson said.

SpiceJet made it clear on Oct 7 that there is "no" harm to its "Boeing 737 NG aircraft."

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released critical safety recommendations on Sep 26 regarding the Boeing 737 aircraft's rudder control system. The recommendations highlighted the possibility of jamming or restriction in specific 737NG and 737 MAX models.

The United Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX's rudder pedals being stuck after landing on Feb 6 sparked an investigation into assembly problems that might have allowed moisture to enter and freeze, which in turn sparked this action.