Boeing 737 Max 8 remains 'airworthy'; Federal Aviation Authority declines to order grounding of aircraft
Federal Aviation Authority says it doesn't have enough data to merit any action
Dubai: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has declined to order the suspension of Boeing 737 Max 8 after two fatal crashes in five months, suggesting that the aircraft in question remains safe to use.
Following the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all passengers on board on March 10, 2019, the aviation body issued a “continued airworthiness notification” to civil aviation authorities.
This week’s accident was the second time in months that a Boeing aircraft of the same model went down within minutes of take-off. Last October, Lion Air’s Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed into the Java Sea, killing 189 passengers.
The FAA said the investigation into the Boeing airplane has just started and that it doesn’t have enough information yet to merit any action.
“External reports are drawing similarities between [the Ethiopian plane crash] and the Lion Air Flight 610 accident on October 29, 2018. However, 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.
The authority, however, said it will mandate “design changes” in the aircraft by April.
There are approximately 300 737 Max airplanes around the world. So far, China and Indonesia have ordered carriers to ground the aircraft until further safety checks are completed. Singapore also said it has banned the aircraft in its airspace.
In the UAE, flydubai said it is confident that the aircraft remains safe to use. The Dubai-based carrier hasa total of 11 Boeing 737 Max 8 airplanes in operation. Last year, it just received seven 737 Max deliveries from the American manufacturer.
Airlines that have Boeing 737 Max planes:
9 Air
Aerolineas Argentinas
Aeromexico
Air Canada
Air China
Air Fiji
AIR ITALY S.P.A.
American Airlines
Arkefly
Britannia Airways AB
Cayman Airways
China Eastern Airlines
China Southern Airlines
Comair
COPA Airlines
Corendon Airlines
Eastar Jet
Enter Air Sp. Z O.O.
Ethiopian Airlines
Fertitta Enterprises, Inc.
flydubai
Fuzhou Airlines Co., Ltd
Garuda Indonesia
Gol Linhas Aereas S.A.
Hainan Airlines
Icelandair
Jet Airways
Jet Aviation Business Jets
JSC Aircompany SCAT
Kunming Airlines
Lion Air
Globus Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines
Lucky Air
Mauritania Airlines
Mongolian Airlines MIAT
Norwegian Air International Lt
Norwegian Air Norway
Norwegian Air Shuttle AS
Norwegian Air Sweden
Okay Airways Company Limited
Oman Air
Qatar Airways
Royal Air Maroc
Shandong Airlines
Shanghai Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
SilkAir
Smartwings
Southwest Airlines
SpiceJet
Sunwing Airlines Inc.
Thai Lion
TUI Airlines Belgium
TUI Airways
Turkish Airlines (THY)
United Airlines
WestJet
Xiamen Airlines