New Delhi/Mumbai, Mar 13 (IANS): With all Boeing 737-800 Max aircraft set to stop operating in Indian airspace from 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Ministry has called a meeting of various airlines to keep a check on fares from spiralling.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) late on Tuesday ordered "grounding the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately" after aviation authorities across the globe, with the notable exception of the US, decided to ground the particular aircraft following Sunday's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines' aircraft of the same model killing all 157 people on board.

"While passenger safety is a zero tolerance issue, efforts are already on to minimise the impact on passenger movement as their convenience is important," Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted on Tuesday.

Sources here said that the Minister has directed officials to prepare a contingency plan to avoid inconvenience to passengers.