More airlines ground MAX 8 aircraft
More airlines have temporarily grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft following Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash, while the aviation regulators of Singapore and Australia have banned the planes from flying in or out of their airspace.
Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Gol, Morocco’s Royal Air Maroc and Comair, based in South Africa, have joined Ethiopia, China, Indonesia and the Cayman Islands in suspending operations of the jet.
An unnamed official said Royal Air Maroc will not fly the aircraft until Boeing completes investigations.
Crash investigators have located the voice and data recorders and officials from Boeing are assisting the investigation.
Sunday’s fatal crash was the second involving a 737 MAX 8 in five months. A Lion Air flight crashed off the coast of Indonesia in October.
There is no evidence at the moment the two accidents are linked.
Comair said: "While Comair has done extensive preparatory work prior to the introduction of the first 737 MAX 8 into its fleet and remains confident in the inherent safety of the aircraft, it has decided temporarily not to schedule the aircraft while it consults with other operators, Boeing and technical experts."
It is still business as usual for the MAX 8 in Europe and most of North America.
Several North American airlines have said they are monitoring the investigation, while European Commission spokesman Enrico Brivio said: "The European Aviation Safety Agency will assess the risk and decide based on information received if there is any further action."
Aeromexico says it has ‘full confidence’ in the safety of the 737 Max fleet, but will temporarily suspend operations until more information about the crash becomes available.
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they will continue operating the jets.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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