States ground Boeing 737 MAX 8s, US insists on ‘airworthiness’
The United States’ aviation regulator says the American-made Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes are “airworthy” despite two deadly crashes of the plane in just five months and even as an increasing number of countries have grounded their fleets of the medium-haul workhorse jet.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told regulators and airlines worldwide that an investigation that started after the first crash of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane in Indonesia in October last year was yet to conclude and as such, the American regulator would not be recommending the grounding of the plane.
“This investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions,” the FAA said.
It also issued a “continued airworthiness notification” for the aircraft late on Monday to assure operators.
The agency made the statement after a second Boeing 737 MAX 8, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, crashed a few minutes after take-off last Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.
In October 2018, a Lion Air Boeing 737 crashed into the sea off Indonesia’s island of Java, only minutes after taking off from the capital, Jakarta, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board.
Some 350 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes are currently in service around the world. However, in the wake of the two crashes, some countries and airlines have decided to ground their fleets of the aircraft.
China, Ethiopia, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Mongolia, and Vietnam have grounded their Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes, most of them temporarily and until the FAA investigation concludes.
Australia has banned flights of the plane over its airspace. No Australian carriers currently operate the model.
Furthermore, South African carrier Comair, Brazil’s Gol Airlines, Mexico’s Aeromexico, Argentina’s Aerolineas Argentinas, and Cayman Airways of the Cayman Islands have also suspended the aircraft’s flights.
Boeing, which has sent experts to Ethiopia to assist in the crash investigation, said safety was its “number one priority.”
“The investigation is in its early stages, but at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators,” the US manufacturer said in a statement.
Meanwhile, some countries, including Russia, Turkey, Italy, Oman, Norway, and India, are continuing to operate the aircraft, pending the outcome of the crash investigation.
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