After considerable pressure put on Boeing worldwide after the crash of Ethiopian 737 MAX 8 on 10 March, the US-based aircraft manufacturer has finally arrived at the decision to “recommend to the FAA the temporary suspension of operations of the entire global fleet of 371 737 MAX aircraft”.
Boeing is still confident in safety of its MAX program aircraft, however, “after consultation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and aviation authorities and its customers around the world” it decided to suspend operations of 737 MAX aircraft.
“We are supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution. Safety is a core value at Boeing for as long as we have been building airplanes; and it always will be. There is no greater priority for our company and our industry. We are doing everything we can to understand the cause of the accidents in partnership with the investigators, deploy safety enhancements and help ensure this does not happen again.”
FAA Grounds MAX in the US
The suspension of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on the territory of the US was also ordered by the FAA on 13 March, 2019.
“Effective immediately, this Order prohibits the operation of Boeing Company Model 737-8 and Boeing Company Model 737-9 airplanes by U.S. certificated operators. This Order also prohibits operation of Boeing Company Model 737-8 and Boeing Company Model 737-9 series airplanes in the territory of the United States”, said the statement.
The statement also said that all the planes that were covered by the issued Order and were in flight were allowed to proceed and complete their flights with the soonest planned landings. After landings aircraft were not allowed to take off.
However, the FAA also explained that there could be special flights permitted. It means that aircraft operators might be allowed to, for example, “non-passenger carrying flights, as needed, for purposes of flight to a base for storage, production flight testing, repairs, alterations, or maintenance”.
The Order from the FAA followed the announcement about grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by the president of the US, Donald Trump. The presided expressed his hope that the matter will be solved as soon as possible.
“Boeing is an incredible company, they are working very very hard right now. Hopefully, they will quickly come up with the answer. But until they do, the planes are grounded effective immediately”, the president told at the press conference.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2019
Boeing 737 MAX Grounded in Canada
Marc Garneau, the Minister of Transport in the Government of Canada, also announced about the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in Canada.
“As a result of new data that we received this morning and had the chance to analyse, and on the advice of my experts, and as a precautionary measure, I am issuing a safety notice. This notice restricts commercial passenger flights from any operator of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 or MAX 9 variant aircraft, whether domestic or foreign from arriving, departing or overflying Canadian airspace”.
The safety notice also had an immediate effect and will be valid until further notice.
The minister revealed that, unfortunately, grounding is causing distruption, but “safety must be into in top of the agenda“.