WHO IS FLYING AND WHO ISN'T
A number of countries have grounded Boeing's 737 MAX 8 jet in response to the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board. The Nairobi-bound plane was the same type as the Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed in October, killing 189 passengers and crew -- and some officials have detected similarities between the two accidents. There are some 350 of the 737 MAX 8 planes currently in service around the world.
COUNTRIES THAT HAVE GROUNDED JETS
BRITAIN, FRANCE AND GERMANY: Britain, France and Germany yesterday banned Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from their country's airspaces following the deadly plane crash in Ethiopia.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's aviation regulator yesterday completely banned the use of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the country's airspace. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said it was "temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore" in light of the two recent accidents.
CHINA: Beijing Monday ordered domestic airlines to suspend operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, citing the two crashes. Noting "similarities" between the two incidents, China's Civil Aviation Administration said operation of the model would only resume after "confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety". China accounts for about one-fifth of worldwide deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX models.
INDONESIA: Indonesia said it was grounding its 11 jets of the 737 MAX 8 type. The planes would remain grounded until they were cleared by safety regulators, Director General of Air Transport Polana Pramesti told reporters.
SOUTH KOREA: South Korea's transport ministry yesterday said it had advised Eastar Jet, the nation's only airline to operate Boeing 737 MAX 8s, to ground its two planes. The budget airline had agreed to suspend its use of the aircraft starting today, it added.
MONGOLIA: The Mongolian Civil Aviation Authority said on Facebook it had ordered the state carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines to ground the sole Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet.
AUSTRALIA: Australia yesterday barred Boeing 737 MAX planes from its airspace. Fiji Airways is the only 737 MAX operator affected by the Australian ban, according to Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia yesterday became the latest nation to ban Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from its airspace.
OTHER AIRLINES: Ethiopian Airlines said Monday it had grounded its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet "until further notice". The state-owned carrier is Africa's largest. South African airline Comair, Cayman Airways, Brazil's Gol Airlines, Aeromexico, Aerolineas Argentinas also suspended operations of 737 MAX from their fleets.
COUNTRIES STILL FLYING JETS
US: Boeing, a US company, which has sent experts to assist in the Ethiopia probe, said safety is its "number one priority". The US Federal Aviation Administration said it would take "immediate" action if there were safety concerns. A person with knowledge of the matter told AFP that American Airlines planned to continue operating its two dozen 737 MAX 8s.
RUSSIA: Russian airline S7 said it was closely following the crash investigation and was in contact with Boeing, but had received no instructions to stop flying the 737 MAX 8.
ITALY: Air Italy said it would follow all directives "to ensure the maximum level of safety and security". In the meantime, the planes remained in the air.
ICELAND: Icelandair, which operates three Boeing 737 MAX 8, said planes will fly until the ongoing probe report comes out.
NORWAY: Norwegian Air Shuttle, which operates 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, said it would keep them in the air.
DUBAI: Airline Flydubai said it was "monitoring the situation" and it was "confident in the airworthiness of our fleet".
OMAN: Oman Air said it was in contact with Boeing "to understand if there are any implications for other airlines operating the same model".
INDIA: India's aviation regulator said Monday that it had imposed additional "interim" safety requirements for ground engineers and crew for the aircraft, but stopped short of ordering their grounding.
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