China Plane Crash: Boeing 737 Fleets Of Indian Carriers Put Under 'Enhanced Surveillance'

SpiceJet, Vistara, and Air India Express are three Indian airlines that have Boeing 737 aircraft in their fleets.

Representational Image. (Source: Getty Images)

New Delhi: After a Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines crashed in China's Guangxi region with 132 passengers on board on Monday, the DGCA has placed the Boeing 737 fleets of Indian carriers under "enhanced surveillance".

SpiceJet, Vistara, and Air India Express are three Indian airlines that have Boeing 737 aircraft in their fleets, news agency PTI reported.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief Arun Kumar told PTI that it was taking "a number of initiatives" in the aftermath of Monday's tragedy.

"Flight safety is serious business and we are closely studying the situation. In the interim, we are focusing on enhanced surveillance of our 737 fleet," Arun Kumar said.

The Boeing 737 aircraft, which had taken off from Kunming and was headed for Guangzhou, crashed in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire. The plane was carrying 123 passengers and 9 flight crew members.

There were no foreigners among the 132 people on board the Chinese passenger plane which crashed, official media said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said that he was shocked to learn about the crash and ordered an all-out search and rescue efforts. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened at the tragedy. "Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 on board in China's Guangxi," Modi tweeted. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and their family members," he said.

Boeing 737 Max aircraft is an advanced version of Boeing 737-800 and both belong to the 737 series. 

Between October 2018 and March 2019, two Boeing 737 Max aircraft were involved in accidents, killing a total of 346 people. Following these two accidents, the DGCA had banned Boeing 737 Max planes in India in March 2019.

After Boeing made necessary software rectifications to the satisfaction of the DGCA, the ban on the aircraft's commercial operations was lifted after 27 months in August last year.

(With PTI Inputs)