Advertisement

Boeing’s 737 MAX 8: who’s grounding, who’s still flying troubled jet after Ethiopia crash

  • The second deadly crash of a prized new plane in five months has renewed safety concerns about the 737 MAX 8
  • Since debuting in 2017, Boeing has delivered more than 350 of them in several versions

Reading Time:6 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Southwest Airlines, which operates 34 of the 737 MAX 8 planes, said: ‘We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our fleet’. Photo: AFP

A number of countries have grounded Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 medium-haul workhorse jet in response to an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board.

Advertisement

The Nairobi-bound plane was the same type as the Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed in October, killing 189 passengers and crew – with some detecting similarities between the two accidents.

There are some 350 of the 737 MAX 8 planes currently in service around the world and while some countries and airlines have opted to ground the planes, others are continuing to fly the aircraft pending an investigation into the crash and possible guidance from Boeing itself.

As of midday Tuesday, Eastern time, the following countries had grounded the 737 MAX or banned it from their airspace: Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mongolia, Oman, and Singapore. The following airlines had grounded their 737 Max 8 fleets: Aeromexico, Brazil’s Gol Airlines, Aerolineas Argentinas, Cayman Airways, South Africa’s Comair, South Korea’s Eastar, Ethiopian Airlines, Icelandair, Norwegian Air Shuttle, India’s Jet Airways, Morocco’s Royal Air Maroc, and Turkish Airlines.


Advertisement
loading
Advertisement