China, Ethiopia ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 after crash

China and Ethiopia have grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft while a number of airlines across the world are carrying out safety measures on the jets following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday (March 10, 2019) that killed all 157 people on board.

China ordered its domestic airlines to suspend commercial operation of nearly 100 of the jets in question on Monday. Ethiopian Airlines followed China’s announcement by grounding all of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as well, according to a spokesperson.

The crash, that took place just outside Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, comes just months after another deadly accident of that same model in Indonesia when a Lion Air flight crashed after take-off from Jakarta in October, killing all 189 people on board.

China’s Civil Aviation Administration said operation of the model will only resume after “confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety”, the administration said in a statement.

Chinese airlines have 96 737 MAX jets in service, the state company regulator said on Weibo. The aviation authority will contact the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing for consultation, it said.

Caijing, a Chinese state-run news outlet that covers finance and economics, said many flights scheduled to use 737 MAX planes would instead use the 737-800 models.

Cayman Airways said it had grounded both of its new 737 MAX 8 jets until it got more information.

Ethiopian Airlines’ spokesperson Asrat Begashaw said although it was not yet known what caused the crash, the airline decided to ground its remaining four 737 Max 8 planes until further notice as “an extra safety precaution”.

Ethiopian Airlines was using five new 737 Max 8 planes and was awaiting delivery of 25 more.

South Korea was also conducting emergency safety inspection on two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, according to it transport ministry.

India’s aviation watchdog DGCA is likely to speak to Boeing and local airlines Jet Airways and SpiceJet about the use of the aircraft, NDTV reported citing a senior official.

Indonesia’s ministry of transportation also said it will increase the supervision of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in the country.

Boeing representatives did not immediately respond for comment. The company tweeted that it was “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew” on the Ethiopian Airlines airplane.

China is an important market for the US aircraft company, accounting for about one-fifth of worldwide deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX models.

The company has delivered 76 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Chinese airlines, which have ordered another 104, according to data from the aircraft maker’s website updated through January.

China is the world’s fastest growing aviation sector and by 2030, it’s estimated that it will become the world’s largest aviation market.

Source : Al Jazeera and News Agencies

March 11 , 2019