Britain has joined the likes of Australian and
Chinese aviation authorities to temporarily suspend the use of the Boeing
737 Max aircraft following the deadly crash of one of the planes in Ethiopia.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement
Tuesday that it grounded the aircraft as a precautionary measure “issued
instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator
arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday
it will continue to trust and use the aircraft, but the U.S. aviation authority
said it’s investigating Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and its crash on Sunday
that killed 157 people.
“The FAA will issue a Continued Airworthiness
Notification to the International Community (CANIC) for Boeing 737 Max
operators. The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of
U.S. commercial aircraft. If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA
will take immediate and appropriate action,” the statement said.
This came as multiple countries and airlines stopped
using the Boeing aircraft in response to the crash, including Britain, Australia,
China, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Hours before the UK's announcement, Malaysia also
banned Boeing 737 Max aircraft from flying to or from Malaysia and
transiting in Malaysia until further notice.
Norwegian Air Shuttle, meanwhile, said it has
grounded the Boeing on recommendation from European aviation
authorities. The Norwegian carrier has 18 of the planes.
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety
Authority announced the move to suspend the operation of Boeing 737 MAX
aircraft from or to the country on early Tuesday morning as well, Reuters reported.
“This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more
information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing
737 MAX to and from Australia,” Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority CEO
Shane Carmody said in a statement.
No Australian airlines actually operate the aircraft, but
two foreign airlines reportedly use the planes to Australia, including Fiji
Airways and Singapore-based SilkAir, which already suspended the use of the
aircraft.
China, the country with the most Boeing 737
Max planes, said on Monday that it’s also temporarily grounding the
aircraft in question.
The order came following “the management principle of
zero tolerance for security risks” and pointed that the crash was the second
after another of the planes fell into the ocean off the coast of Indonesia in
similar circumstances on Oct. 29, killing all aboard.
Indonesia and Singapore followed the suit, while Chinese
authorities said a further notice will be issued after the consultation with
the FAA.
In a statement by Boeing said it was “is deeply saddened
by the loss of Lion Air Flight 610, which has have weighed heavily on the
entire Boeing team, and we extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to
the families and loved ones of those onboard.”
“Safety is a core value for everyone at Boeing and the
safety of our airplanes, our customers’ passengers and their crews is always
our top priority,” the statement continued. “The 737 MAX is a safe airplane
that was designed, built and supported by our skilled employees who approach
their work with the utmost integrity.”
It added that “Boeing has been developing a flight
control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe
aircraft even safer.”
The Associated Press contributed to this
report.
