After crashes, Boeing rolls out safety feature

New York, March 22 

Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft will be outfitted with a warning light for malfunctions in the anti-stall system suspected in October’s fatal crash in Indonesia, an industry source said on Thursday, standardising a feature previously sold as an optional extra.

The development comes as the manufacturer struggles to cope with the fallout from both the Indonesia crash and another in Ethiopia this month, which have cast a spotlight on the safety certification process and shaken confidence in a plane that is crucial to its future plans.

Known as a “disagree light”, this safety feature will become standard and is among the modifications the company will present to US authorities and clients in the coming days, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Neither the Lion Air aircraft which crashed in Indonesia, nor the Ethiopian Airlines jet, had the feature, the source said.  Modifications are in the final stages but Boeing wants to be certain this meets the expectations of regulators and customers, the industry source said. Neither Boeing nor the Federal Aviation Agency offered any comment. But an industry expert said the system should have already been included. — AFP

SpiceJet in talks for inducting planes 

SpiceJet on Friday said it was in discussion with lessors to bring in more planes into its fleet. It has grounded 12 Boeing 737 jet following regulatory directives this month. “To cater the gap from the reduced fleet size, the firm is in discussion with various lessors globally to induct aircraft,’ it said amid reports that it is in talks to lease some grounded Jet planes. PTI