Global airlines’ reaction to Ethiopian Airlines crash

China and Indonesia have grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by their airlines in reaction to the fatal crash of a plane of the same type operated by Ethiopian Airlines on Sunday but they are not the only countries to do so.

Ethiopian Airlines has also grounded its MAX 8 jets.

Boeing has said the investigation into the crash remains in its early stages and it has no basis to issue new guidance to operators.

Other airlines continue to operate the narrowbody jet. Here is what airlines and regulators have said so far:

AIR CANADA

We have offered our assistance and are following closely the investigation. We have operated this aircraft type since 2017 and currently have 24 in our fleet. These aircraft have performed excellently from a safety, reliability and customer satisfaction perspective.

AMERICAN AIRLINES
The company said it remained fully confident in the aircraft and that it was closely monitoring the investigation.

BRAZIL’S AIR TRAVEL REGULATOR
The regulator said it was not grounding the aircraft and that it was following the investigation.

CAYMAN AIRWAYS
The airline said it had grounded both of its MAX 8 jets until it got more information on the crash.

CHINA’S AVIATION REGULATOR
The regulator grounded 96 MAX 8s including those operated by Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

COMAIR
The South African airline said it would monitor investigations into Sunday’s crash. It has ordered eight models of the aircraft and took delivery of the first one last month.

FIJI AIRWAYS
The airline said it was confident in the jet.

FLYDUBAI

We are monitoring the situation and continue to be in touch with Boeing. We remain confident in the airworthiness of our fleet. The safety of our passengers and crew is our first priority.

INDIA’S DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIATION
The regulator said it would issue additional safety instructions to Indian carriers operating the MAX 8. Jet Airways and SpiceJet Ltd operate the plane.

SOUTH KOREA TRANSPORT MINISTRY
South Korea is conducting an emergency inspection on Eastar Jet’s two MAX 8 jets, a ministry official said. The airline could not immediately be reached for comment.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
The airline said it remained fully confident in the aircraft and was closely monitoring the investigation.

SPICEJET
The Indian airline said all 13 of its MAX 8s were currently flying.

TUI

From our experience we can operate the aircraft safely.

TURKISH AIRLINES

We are in contact with Boeing, the aircraft producer, on the operations of the Boeing 737 Max, CEO Bilal Eksi tweeted. Flight safety is our priority. We are closely monitoring developments. We are carrying out all our operations by keeping flight safety at the highest level.

WESTJET

We are monitoring the situation closely and will not speculate on the cause of the incident at this time. We have 13 MAX aircraft in our fleet of 121 Boeing 737s.

Reuters