DGCA clarified on Wednesday that the ban on all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft will be effective from 4 pm.

"B737Max operations will stop from/to all Indian airport's. Additionally, no B737 Max aircraft will be allowed to enter or transit the Indian airspace effective 1600hrs Indian time or 1030 UTC. The timeline is to cater to situations where aircraft can be positioned at maintenance facilities and international flights can reach their destinations," it said in a statement.

The clarification came after it was observed that Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet was still operating the planes on Wednesday despite India banning all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on Tuesday.

The country joined the list of several countries banning the plane following a deadly crash in Ethiopia involving the US passenger jet.

"DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations," the ministry of civil aviation said in a tweet on Tuesday.

DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations. (1/2)

— Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) March 12, 2019

SpiceJet has around 12 such aircraft in its fleet, while Jet Airways has five, which are currently grounded.

SpiceJet late on Tuesday said it has suspended Boeing 737 Max operations following DGCA's decision to ground the aircraft. "Safety and security of our passengers, crew and operations are of utmost importance to us and we will be working with the regulator and the manufacturer to attain normalcy in our operations," said Tushar Srivastava, head of communications, SpiceJet.

The incident on Sunday was the second such crash involving the 737 MAX 8 aircraft in less than five months. In October last year, an aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed killing over 180 people in Indonesia.

It is not clear when the ban will take effect because at least one flight of SpiceJet took off after the ministry tweeted the DGCA’s decision.

When is the indian advice on grounding the 737Max fleet valid from! This just took off. Flight SG8193 from Delhi to Ahmedabadhttps://t.co/gmYL3jtqIf pic.twitter.com/HzHWMLUAyB

— Ajay Awtaney (@LiveFromALounge) March 12, 2019

First Published:Mar 12, 2019 11:42 PM IST