Akasa Air, AI Express say their B737 planes are not impacted by FAA directive

New Delhi: Akasa Air and Air India Express, the key operators of Boeing 737 planes in India, on Friday said their fleets are not impacted by the US aviation watchdog FAA's directive for inspection of these jets for possible fuselage cracks.

Apart from Akasa Air and Air India Express, SpiceJet also operates the narrow-body Boeing 737 aircraft, but the airline did not comment on the impact of the directive.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for certain Boeing 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 aircraft.


There were reports of cracks in the bearing strap at the forward upper corner of the forward galley door cutout of the aircraft. The directive requires an inspection of the fuselage skin for existing repairs and applicable on-condition actions, according to the watchdog.

In a statement, a Boeing spokesperson said it identified and reported this issue and has been working with operators on it over the past six years. Since 2021, there have been periodic compliance checks in this regard.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said it operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, comprising brand-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 directive mandates a scheduled inspection prior to the completion of 30,000 flight cycles (take-offs and landings).

"At Akasa Air's current average utilisation, this threshold is expected to be reached approximately 13-plus years after an aircraft is inducted into service. Given that our longest lease today is 12 years, the directive has no practical impact on Akasa Air," the spokesperson said.

The airline has a fleet of 40 Boeing 737 MAX planes.

An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed that the FAA airworthiness directive does not affect the airline's Boeing 737 fleet. The carrier has around 80 such planes.

In India, Akasa Air, Air India Express and SpiceJet together have more than 140 Boeing 737 planes.

The Boeing spokesperson also said that in 2019, it notified operators of 737 NG airplanes of the issue and provided detailed instructions for conducting the recommended inspections. Subsequently, the FAA mandated those inspections in an AD in 2021.

"This issue has not been observed on the 737 MAX fleet, but Boeing extended the inspections to 737 MAX airplanes as the model shares a similar design and build process. The FAA Airworthiness Directive published today mandates the inspections, as it did for the 737 Next Generation. We support both directives and continue to support our airline customers," the spokesperson said.