India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has put the Boeing 737 aircraft under “enhanced surveillance”, following the crash of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 earlier today.

The flight, operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou when it came down in the southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi. There were 132 people onboard.

Parts of the wreckage have been found, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation. China Eastern Airlines has since grounded its fleet of 107 Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

India’s response to the crash

According to news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), when asked what steps India would be taking in response to the crash, the DGCA’s Director General, Arun Kumar, stated,

“Flight safety is serious business and we are closely studying the situation. In the interim, we are focused on enhanced surveillance of our 737 fleets. We are deploying teams to monitor flight procedures, air worthiness and operations.”

As yet no further details have been provided by the DGCA, who will no doubt be looking closely at the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) over the coming days as the investigation into the cause of the crash continues.

A brief look at the Boeing 737 in India

In March 2019, following two fatal accidents, the DGCA grounded the Boeing 737 MAX in India, as did many other civil aviation authorities around the world. This ban was in place for over two years before being lifted in August 2021.

Today three Indian airlines operate a total of 78 Boeing 737 aircraft – SpiceJet leads the way with 49 in its fleet, followed by Air India Express with 24 and Vistara with five.

Vistara took on its Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Jet Airways, but is in the process of phasing them out, to be replaced with the Airbus A320neo and A321neo.

With over 400 A319/A320/A321 aircraft operated by airlines in the country, Airbus' single aisle aircraft are a more common sight in the skies above India. 232 of these are operated by one carrier alone - IndiGo

However, that may be about to change - Boeing currently has a total of 214 Boeing 737 MAX orders from SpiceJet and newcomer Akasa Air. As these deliveries are made, we may see Boeing becoming the dominant player in the Indian short-haul aircraft market.

Further reactions to the crash

Messages of condolence continue to be sent to China from around the world. China Eastern Airlines itself changed the color of its website to black and white earlier today as a mark of respect. It has also set up an emergency telephone hotline for those affected by the crash.

As the investigation into the crash continues, aircraft manufacturer Boeing has issued the following statement:

“Our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735. We are working with our airline customer and are ready to support them. Boeing is in contact with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and our technical experts are prepared to assist with the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.”