Mukesh Ambani owns Boeing 737-9 Max jet, same type involved in Alaska Airlines mid-air horror: Report
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Jan 8, 2024, 2:21 PM ISTReliance Industries Ltd., owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is uniquely equipped with a Boeing 737-9 Max variant in its corporate jet fleet, featuring a sealed mid-cabin exit door, according to information from flight data provider Cirium.
In what is being seen as a startling revelation, Asia’s wealthiest individual, Mukesh Ambani's conglomerate, Reliance Industries Ltd. is reportedly the sole user of a Boeing 737-9 Max variant—a type now under global investigation following a mid-flight fuselage incident on Friday. Flight data from Cirium indicates that Reliance Industries is the exclusive owner of a corporate jet in this category, notable for having a plugged mid-cabin exit door.
Although the Alaska Airlines flight did not result in any fatalities, the incident has sparked significant concerns regarding the safety of the specific Boeing model and raised questions about Boeing's overall safety record. In response, multiple carriers have grounded their entire fleets. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an order on Saturday, instructing the temporary suspension of certain Max 9 aircraft flights for inspection.
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Last year, Reliance Industries incorporated the Boeing 737-9 Max into its corporate fleet, as reported by media outlets. The aircraft, reportedly identified by the registration T7-LOTUS, features Reliance branding. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has urged carriers to conduct a one-time inspection of Boeing's 737-8 Max jets, a different plane model, with the inspections to be completed by Sunday.
In addition to the Boeing 737-9 Max, Reliance maintains several other aircraft in its corporate fleet, including two Embraer SA ERJ 145 planes and one Airbus SE A319. Media reports also indicate the presence of two helicopters—a Dauphin and a Sikorsky—in the company's hangar. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ambani's net worth is reported to be $97.5 billion.
Apart from Alaska Air, United Airlines Holdings Inc., and Panama’s Copa Airlines SA, a few other carriers, including flydubai, Aeromexico, and Air Tanzania, have aircraft with the mid-cabin door sealed. Alaska Air, United Airlines, and Copa have already taken the precautionary measure of grounding numerous jets of this type in their respective fleets.
Boeing's 737-9 Max stands as the longest single-aisle variant in the company's lineup. Featuring modular fuselage layouts, it allows for emergency doors to be more flexibly installed, catering to varying seat configurations and providing customers with increased flexibility in cabin arrangement.
The Max 9 includes a cabin exit door positioned behind the wings but before the rear exit door. This specific configuration is activated in dense seating layouts to meet evacuation requirements. Notably, on Alaska Air aircraft, these doors were not activated; instead, they were permanently plugged.
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