The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed the grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft to fly over the Indian airspace and also allowed foreign registered aircraft to be ferried out of the country.

It, however, did not outrightly lift a ban on the aircraft that has been grounded in India since March 2019, following two fatal crashes involving the aircraft globally. In an order dated 20 April, signed by DGCA chief Arun Kumar, the regulator said that foreign-registered Boeing 737Max aircraft, currently grounded in India, will be allowed to ferry flights outside the country subject to obtaining regulatory approvals.

Foreign registered Boeing 737Max planes will also be permitted in the Indian airspace provided the aircraft have been given due permission by the regulatory authorities, it added.

The decision by the DGCA will allow foreign lessors to take these aircraft back to their countries of operations. It will also allow foriegn airlines to overfly the aircraft on Indian airspace, with due permissions from the regulators.

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As things stand, both the US aviation regulator US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European regulator European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), have approved the return to service of the aircraft with extensive fixes.

The airworthiness directive issued by FAA for 737 Max aircraft operators requires installation of new flight control computer software, revising the existing airplane flight manual to incorporate new and revised flight crew procedures, installing new Max display system software, and performing an operational readiness flight, among others.