International
UK bans Boeing 737 MAX jets from airspace days after Ethiopia crash
Britain along other four countries have banned the Boeing 737 MAX planes from their airspace as other airlines around the world grounded the jets following a second deadly accident in just five months.
On Sunday, a new Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 crashed minutes after take-off to Nairobi, claiming the lives of 157 people on board.
This came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189.
US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the model and insisted they would take action if malfunctions are detected.
China, an important market for Boeing, had already ordered domestic airlines to suspend operations of the plane on Monday, as well as Indonesia.
Read also: Nigerian passenger aboard Delta Airlines dies during flight to Lagos
Aviation regulators in Singapore, a global air travel centre and popular transit point for travellers, said they would work with the country’s main airport and the affected airlines to reduce any impact to travelling passengers.
South Korea meanwhile ordered the only airline in the country that operates the jets to suspend operations of its two MAX 8s. Argentina’s flag carrier also grounded five MAX 8 aircraft on Tuesday, as did airlines in countries including South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.
But several airlines said they are not cancelling MAX 8 flights, while US carriers appeared to maintain confidence in the manufacturer.
“The Boeing 737 MAX is a highly sophisticated aircraft,” said India’s SpiceJet, which has 13 of the MAX 8 variants in its 75-strong fleet.
“It has flown hundreds of thousands of hours globally and some of the world’s largest airlines are flying this aircraft,” it said in a statement.
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