Dozens of countries and airlines have started grounding Boeing’s 737 Max 8 aircraft following the tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday that killed all 157 passengers and crew on board.
The aircraft model — considered the best-selling airliner in Boeing’s history — has been targeted amidst global concern about it being the same type as the Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed in October last year, killing 189 people on board.
Singapore is playing it safe as well. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will institute a temporary suspension of operations this afternoon for all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, whether they’re flying into or out of the country. The decision was made “in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in less than five months,” noted CAAS in a statement.
The only local airline affected by the suspension is SilkAir, which operates six Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. CAAS assured that the airline had been taking appropriate measures to comply with the necessary safety requirements.
Grounded
In response, SilkAir has agreed to temporarily withdraw its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet from service and has since grounded all of the aircraft in Singapore. Citing the importance of maintaining the safety of its customers and crew, the six aircraft will not be returned to service until further notice — which will obviously affect the airline’s flight schedules. According to The Straits Times, SilkAir operates the aircraft to Bengaluru, Cairns, Chongqing, Darwin, Hiroshima, Hyderabad, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket, and Wuhan.
“Customers who may be affected by flight disruptions will be contacted for reaccommodation,” wrote SilkAir, adding that updates will be provided on affected flights when finalized.
The safety risk
CAAS is not allowing any other Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to fly in either. Airlines currently operating the models to Singapore include the likes of China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.
“During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore,” the aviation regulator stated.
Global impact
Like Singapore, other countries have also started suspending the operations of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. China, Indonesia, South Korea, Mongolia have all grounded the aircraft pending inspections, while airlines such as Aeromexico, Brazil’s Gol, Cayman Airways and Ethiopian Airlines are enacting similar measures.
Closer to home, a Hongkonger and an Indonesian were among the 157 people killed onboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight, which crashed minutes after taking off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. BBC reported that the cause of the disaster is still not clear, but that the pilot had reported difficulties and asked to return to Addis Ababa.
On their end, Boeing pledged its support to Ethiopian Airlines and has sent a technical team to the crash site to provide technical assistance. Both black boxes have been recovered from the fallen plane, which will provide insight into how the accident happened.
