UK, Germany, France, 4 others ban Boeing 737 MAX flights
March 12, 2019 22:04
Britain, Germany and France on Tuesday joined other countries in banning Boeing 737 MAX planes from their airspace as a growing number of airlines around the world grounded the jets following a second deadly accident in just five months.
On Sunday, a new Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board.
It came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189.
United States regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the model and insisted they would take action if safety issues are detected.
But it was not enough to reassure aviation authorities in Britain, Germany and France and four other countries -- Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Oman -- who temporarily banned all 737 MAX planes from their airspace.
China, a hugely important market for Boeing, had already ordered domestic airlines to suspend operations of the plane Monday, as did Indonesia.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement headlined 'Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft' that 'as a precautionary measure' it had decided 'to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace'.
Aviation regulators in Singapore, a global air travel hub and popular transit point for long-haul travellers, said they would work with the country's main airport and 'the affected airlines to minimise any impact to travelling passengers'.
Meanwhile, the Boeing Company said safety is its 'number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of 737 MAX'.
"We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets," it said.
"We'll continue to engage with them to ensure they've info needed to have confidence in operating their fleets.
"US Federal Aviation Admn isn't mandating any further action at the time and based on info available,we don't have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," it said. -- Agencies
"We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets," it said.
"We'll continue to engage with them to ensure they've info needed to have confidence in operating their fleets.
"US Federal Aviation Admn isn't mandating any further action at the time and based on info available,we don't have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," it said. -- Agencies
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