Here's all you need to know about countries grounding Boeing 737 MAX

India has joined other countries in grounding Boeing 737 Max aircraft after the Ministry of Civil Aviation clarified that no such aircraft will be allowed to enter or transit Indian airspace effective 1600 hours IST or 1030 UTC, March 13.

Additionally no B737 Max aircraft will be allowed to enter or transit Indian airspace effective 1600hrs IST or 1030 UTC. The time line is to cater to situations where aircraft can be positioned at maintenance facilities & international flights can reach their destinations.(2/2)

— Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) March 13, 2019

While the number of countries grounding Boeing 737 Max aircraft on the rise, here's everything that you need to know about this burning topic:

What triggered the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX?

Instances of Boeing 737 MAX being grounded were reported after the Ethiopian Airlines crashed on March 10, which involved the said Boeing aircraft, killing nearly 160 passengers and crew dead.

In October last year, the same model was also involved in the Lion Air crash. Twelve minutes after taking off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, the plane crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 on board.

Read: Boeing under scanner as Ethiopian Airlines crash comes 4 months after a similar Lion Air tragedy

In the Lion Air crash, investigations showed that a malfunction in one of the sensors led to the aircraft computer to automatically initiated a dive. There were concerns that pilots weren't trained for this.

The twin crashes have led to suspicion over design fault in the plane. Thus, taking into account the safety of passengers on this aircraft, countries across the globe including China, UK, Singapore and Malaysia have grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

According to a tweet by Flightradar24, the popular flight tracker, there were 145 of the 737 Max 8 active in the air.

Boeing's response

In its first comment after the crash, Boeing said it is 'ready to support' the Ethiopian Airlines team.

"A Boeing technical team is prepared to provide technical assistance at the request and under the direction of the US National Transportation Safety Board," the company said in a statement.

Is the grounding going to affect Indian airlines? 

The grounding of the aircraft may impact two Indian airlines -- SpiceJet and cash-strapped Jet Airways -- that have Boeing 737 MAX in their fleet. In India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet have ordered 225 and 100 of these planes, respectively, which promise to be fuel efficient and less polluting.

Jet has already ground 5 B737 MAX in its fleet. "Jet Airways has 5 B737 MAX in its fleet but is currently not flying any of these aircraft. The airline is in contact with the manufacturer and the regulator in context of this development and remains committed to implementing all directives or advisories that may be published by those authorized," a spokesperson told Moneycontrol.