The List — Boeing 737 Max 8 Being Pulled Out Across the Globe

By IndraStra Global News Team

By IndraStra Global News Team

Across the world, Boeing 737 Max 8 is getting banned after the unfortunate crash of an Ethiopian Airlines' Boeing 737 Max 8 flight ET302  in Addis Ababa shortly after takeoff on March 10, 2019, killing 157 people. The other crash involving the same plane model happened on October 29, 2018, when a Lion Air flight JT610 with 189 people crashed into the sea, 13 minutes into its flight. Both aircraft had been delivered to their respective airlines just a couple of months prior to the accidents.

Currently, more than 5,000 of the new Max planes have been ordered, mostly the Max 8 iteration, allowing Boeing to maintain the 737’s historic chart-topping sales in the face of competition from the Airbus A320 family’s latest “neo” planes.

CHINA

On March 11, 2019,  China became the first country to order all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes grounded in the aftermath of an Ethiopian Airlines crash Sunday. On the same day, a top official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) revealed that they had asked their counterparts at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as Boeing about piloting software and safety issues concerning the 737 Max 8 after Lion Air Flight 610 plunged into the sea off Indonesia last fall, but that they have not received satisfactory answers.

UNITED KINGDOM (UK)

On March 11, 2019, UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) banned all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from "arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace" as a "precautionary measure".

In a statement, the CAA announced that it would continue to monitor the situation: "As we do not currently have sufficient information from the flight data recorder, we have, as a precautionary measure, issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace."

There are currently five 737 MAX aircraft registered and operational in the United Kingdom. A sixth is planned to commence operations later this week.

INDONESIA

On March 11, 2019, The Indonesian Transport Ministry's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara - DJPU) banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes. Indonesia airlines fly approximately 11 of the planes. The following airlines operate the 737 MAX 8: Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia. It is unclear how long the planes may remain grounded; associated flight delays, cancelations, and other disruptions are possible for Indonesian airline flights in the coming days and weeks. Other airlines have announced they are "closely monitoring" the situation and further suspensions of operations are possible.

EUROPEAN UNION (EU)

On March 12, 2019, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on said it "is taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of passengers" by publishing an Airworthiness Directive, effective as of 19:00 UTC, suspending all flight operations of all Boeing Model 737-8 MAX and 737-9. The decision not only applies to airlines within the European Union but to operators outside of the region flying to or from the region - based on a Safety Directive, effective as of 19:00 UTC.

SINGAPORE

On March 12, 2019, Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) "temporarily suspended the 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 suspension took effect from 1400hrs, March 12, 2019.

SilkAir, which operates 6 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, will be affected by the temporary suspension. The other airlines currently operating Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air. CAAS is working with Changi Airport Group and the affected airlines to minimize any impact to traveling passengers.

AUSTRALIA

On March 12, 2019, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said that it was in the best interests of safety to ground the jets, operated here currently by Fiji Airways into Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.

"This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX," said CASA' chief executive and director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody. He further added, "CASA regrets any inconvenience to passengers but believes it is important to always put safety first."

CASA is closely monitoring the situation and the suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available from Boeing, the FAA, and accident investigators.

INDIA

On March 12, 2019, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced its decision to "immediately" ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that are currently being used by airline companies in India. Today, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation will hold a meeting with the airlines (operating the 737 Max 8) at 4 pm to prepare a contingency plan as a number of flights have been canceled following the grounding. India's SpiceJet has canceled 14 flights for today after DGCA directive.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE)

On March 12, 2019, UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) banned the operation of all Boeing 737 MAX models in UAE airspace as a "precautionary measure". The decision has been “issued to ensure the safety of the UAE civil aviation industry and the public of the UAE”, the GCAA said. It also instructed airlines en route to request special permission to fly out of the UAE. GCAA will “continue monitoring and re-assessing the situation as more information is obtained about the accident,” it added.

OMAN

On March 12, 2019, Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) said in a tweet that it is “temporarily suspending operations of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of all Omani airports until further notice”. State-owned Oman Air operates five 737 MAX 8 aircraft, according to its website.

KUWAIT

On March 12, 2019, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also announced a ban on 737 MAX 8 aircraft from its airspace, state news agency KUNA said on Tuesday. The authority said that “the operation of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft has been suspended for all flights including overflights until further notice.”

SOUTH KOREA

On March 12, 2019, a South Korean airline Easter Jet said it will suspend operations of its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes. According to an unnamed airline official, the planes

will be replaced by Boeing 737-800 planes from Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand. 

An official from South Korea’s Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA) says it has yet to find any problems from safety reviews on Easter's planes that started Monday.

Boeing's Take on the Ban

On March 12, 2019, Boeing has addressed the bans. "Safety is Boeing’s number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX," a statement by the company reads. "We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets. We’ll continue to engage with them to ensure they have the information needed to have confidence in operating their fleets. The United States Federal Aviation Administration is not mandating any further action at this time, and based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators".

This is a developing story.