MUMBAI: China, Ethiopia and Indonesia 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 that killed all 157 people on board.
On Monday, China ordered its domestic airlines to suspend the commercial operation of nearly 100 of the jets in question.
Ethiopian Airlines followed China’s announcement by grounding all of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as well, according to a spokesperson.
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The crash, that took place just outside Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, comes just months after another deadly accident involving the same model in Indonesia when a Lion Air flight crashed after take-off from Jakarta in October, killing all 189 people on board.
Noting the “similarities” between the two accidents, China’s Civil Aviation Administration said domestic airlines have until 6pm local time (10:00 GMT) to ground all 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
It 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.
Cayman Airways said it had grounded both of its new 737 MAX 8 jets until it got more information.
On Monday, 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.
Later on Monday, Indonesia decided to ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes, according to its transportation Ministry.
South Korea was also conducting an emergency safety inspection on two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, according to its 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.
With inputs from agencies
