South Korea, Australia and Singapore have suspended flights involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, joining a growing list of countries and airlines to ground the model following its second deadly crash in less than five months.
The moves come after an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. Indonesia and China had already grounded their fleets after a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 crashed into the Java Sea in October, killing 189.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to maintain the aircraft is safe to fly, issuing a “continued airworthiness notification” for the 737 MAX on Monday. Boeing said it has no reason to pull the plane from service and is working with the FAA to enhance flight control software, which will be deployed across the fleet in coming weeks.
Investigators in Ethiopia have recovered both black box flight recorders from the crash site. Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam said the pilot had sent a distress call and was given clearance to return to the airport shortly after take-off. The senior captain, Yared Getachew, had more than 8,000 flying hours.
Nearly 40 per cent of the global in-service fleet of 371 Boeing 737 MAX jets is now grounded, according to industry publication Flightglobal. Other airlines, including Gol in Brazil, Aerolineas Argentinas and Aeromexico, have also suspended MAX 8 flights. Singapore Airlines’ SilkAir brand, which operates six of the aircraft, has temporarily withdrawn its fleet.
