New Delhi: The Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation watchdog in India, announced on Wednesday that all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircrafts in the country would be grounded by 4 pm. The announcement was reported by news agency ANI on Wednesday morning.

The move by India's aviation watchdog comes after a late-night decision by the Director General of Civil Aviation to ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes following the Ethiopian plane crash that killed 157 people on Sunday. "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a tweet.

"As always, passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety," it added.

SpiceJet Airlines, one of India's airline majors has decided to suspend the operations of its Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts with immediate effect. The airline has taken the decision to ground its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft as a precautionary measure after the aviation watchdog -DGCA- banned use of aircraft.

“Safety and security of our passengers, crew and operations are of utmost importance to us,” SpiceJet said in a brief statement on Wednesday. “We are abiding by the guidelines of DGCA and suspending Boeing 737 Max flights from today onwards,” the airlines said on Twitter.