China’s aviation regulator has told domestic airlines to suspend operation of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft following the second deadly crash <www.ft.com/content/c7760b18-431b-11e9-b168-96a37d002cd3> for the aircraft model in less than five months.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China told airlines to suspend operation of the aircraft model by 6pm on Monday following the crash on Sunday of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 that killed all 157 people on board.
The Ethiopian Airlines crash involved the same type of aircraft involved in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October that killed all 189 people on board.
The administration said it had issued the notice to suspend commercial 737-8 flights as the two crashes both occurred during the take-off phase and had certain similarities. It said it will contact the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing and will update airlines on when flights can resume.
Aviation industry officials have said it is too soon to say <www.ft.com/content/920f2ae2-437d-11e9-b168-96a37d002cd3> if there is a connection between the two crashes.
Air China took delivery of the country’s first 737 MAX 8 at the end of 2017, with the aircraft maker adding that this was the first of almost 100 737 MAXs to be delivered to Chinese companies by the end of 2018.
