A lot of countries across the world have ordered airlines to ground Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash this past weekend.
The US-manufactured aircraft was carrying 157 people when it crashed just six minutes after takeoff. The flight was heading to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital from the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
Countries like Australia, China, India, Turkey, and the UK have grounded all Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts. On Tuesday, European Union aviation authorities also suspended all commercial flights with the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in member states.
However, the United States has not suspended flights with Boeing 737 MAX planes. A US Senator called for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be grounded. However, Aviation authorities argue that there is no proof of technical faults with the plane that warrants grounding it.
About three airline companies in the US have continued to use of the Boeing 737 MAX models. The move by the American Airlines Group Inc, Southwest Airlines Co., and United Airlines has sparked a debate on social media.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s acting administrator, Dan Elwell, said no country has provided any data to show that there are systemic performance issues with the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Elwell said the FAA would ” take immediate and appropriate action” if any performance issues are identified as investigations into the Ethiopian Airlines crash continues.
The Ethiopian Airlines crash is the second deadly plane accident involving the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in months. The last time a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft went down was six months ago in Indonesia. The Lion Air flight was carrying 189 people when it crashed, killing all aboard.
After Sunday’s crash, an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident. However, Boeing has come to the defense of its plane saying it has “full confidence in the safety of the Max.” Boeing is one of the biggest airplane manufacturers in the world. The company has since sent a team of experts to the site of the Ethiopian Airline crash.
