- Akasa Air and Air India Express Boeing 737 fleets are not affected by the FAA directive
- The FAA directive mandates inspection of certain Boeing 737 aircraft for fuselage cracks
- Akasa Air’s fleet is young and will not reach 30,000 flight cycles during current leases
| Akasa Air and Air India Express on Saturday clarified that their Boeing 737 fleets are not impacted by a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive mandating inspections of certain aircraft for possible fuselage cracks, PTI reported. Akasa Air and Air India Express are two of India's largest operators of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. An Akasa Air spokesperson told PTI that the airline operates one of the world's youngest fleets, comprising entirely new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. "The issue referenced in the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airworthiness Directive has no impact on the safety or current operations of our fleet," the spokesperson said. The directive requires a scheduled inspection before an aircraft completes 30,000 flight cycles, which include take-offs and landings, the spokesperson said. Akasa Air currently operates 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Based on Akasa Air's current aircraft utilisation, the 30,000-cycle inspection threshold would be reached more than 13 years after an aircraft enters service, the spokesperson added. "Given that our longest lease today is 12 years, the directive has no practical impact on Akasa Air," the spokesperson said. An Air India Express spokesperson also confirmed to PTI that the FAA directive does not affect the airline's Boeing 737 fleet. The carrier operates around 80 Boeing 737 aircraft. Together, Akasa Air, Air India Express and SpiceJet operate more than 140 Boeing 737 aircraft in India. SpiceJet, which also operates Boeing 737 aircraft, did not comment on the impact of the directive. ALSO READ: Akasa Air Targets IPO in 2-4 Years, CEO Explains Why Airline Is Not Chasing Market Share What Is The FAA Directive?The FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive on August 7 covering certain Boeing 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 aircraft after reports of cracks in a bearing strap at the forward upper corner of the forward galley door cutout. The directive requires operators to inspect the fuselage skin for existing repairs and undertake corrective action where necessary. According to Boeing, the company identified and reported the issue and has been working with airlines on inspections for the past six years. Periodic compliance checks have also been in place since 2021. Boeing said it first notified operators of 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft about the issue in 2019 and provided inspection procedures. The FAA subsequently made the inspections mandatory through an Airworthiness Directive issued in 2021. The company said the issue has not been observed on the 737 MAX fleet. However, Boeing extended the inspections to 737 MAX aircraft because the model shares a similar design and manufacturing process. Boeing said it supports both FAA directives and will continue to support its airline customers. |
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