SINGAPORE: The US has joined a long list of countries that have now suspended Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from operating flights and even overflying their territories.
Thailand’s Thai Lion Air flies three 737 MAX 9 aircraft delivered late last year. They have now been grounded following a Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand decision, late yesterday, to ban 737 MAX models from flying. Thai Lion is the only airline in Thailand using 737 MAX versions. Nok Air deferred its order for the aircraft, last year, and will not take delivery of the 737 MAX until 2020 at the earliest.
Singapore was the first country in Southeast to suspend all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on Tuesday a decision that impacts on SilkAir, which has six of the aircraft in its fleet.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said it was temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months.”
The suspensions followed a fatal air crash that claimed the lives of all 157 people on board an Ethiopian Airlines-run Boeing 737 MAX 8 died in the crash last Sunday.
It was the second fatal incident involving the same model in fewer than six months.
A Lion Air plane of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October last year, killing 189 people – prompting intense scrutiny over the aeroplane’s control systems.
Boeing has delivered about 350 of the 737 MAX 8’s with more than 4,500 on order.
Regions and countries banning the 737 MAX 8
Canada
Saying it was acting on new information, Canada joined the long list of countries banning the 737 MAX on Wednesday a move that was then adopted by the US FAA.
The Canadian safety notice restricts commercial passenger flights from any air operator, both domestic and foreign, of the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft from arriving, departing, or overflying Canadian airspace,” according to the Transport Minister Marc Garneau. (The Max 9 has an extended fuselage, but uses the same systems as the Max 8s).
European Union
The European Union’s aviation safety agency EASA suspended all flights in Europe and through its airspace on Tuesday.
United Kingdom
Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday banned all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from “arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace” as a “precautionary measure”.
China
Chinese authorities ordered all domestic airlines to suspend operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, citing the two crashes in a statement Monday.
Airlines flying the 737 MAX 8 included Air China, China Eastern and China Southern.
India
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Tuesday it had taken the decision to ground Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. Jet Airways has 737-MAX 6 models in its fleet.
Australia
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said on Tuesday it has temporarily suspended the operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to or from Australia.
No Australian airlines operate the Boeing 737 MAX, but two foreign airlines fly the models to Australia, according to the CASA.
South Korea
South Korea’s transport ministry said on Tuesday it had advised Eastar Jet, the nation’s only airline to operate Boeing 737 MAX 8s, to ground its two planes. The budget carrier had agreed to suspend its use of the aircraft starting Wednesday, it added.
Mongolia
The Mongolian Civil Aviation Authority said on Facebook it had ordered the state carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines to ground the sole Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet.
Indonesia
Indonesia grounded 11 jets of the 737 MAX 8 type in the Lion Air Group pending the outcome of an investigation into the Lion Air crash last October. Garuda Indonesia also flies the aircraft.
Malaysia
Malaysian authorities on Tuesday said all flights by Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft into and out of the country had been suspended.
Oman
Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation announced on Tuesday the suspension of flights by Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in its jurisdiction “until further notice”.
The state-owned Oman Air, which operates five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, said flights operated by those planes “will be suspended as soon as possible”.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement it would join the ongoing investigation into the crash and ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9s, the Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency reported.
It said it was in touch with authorities in China and elsewhere, calling its ban on the aircraft in its airspace “a precautionary measure”.
After the Emirates banned the aircraft, FlyDubai said it would be “adjusting its schedule to minimise disruption to passengers”.
