Norwegian Airlines yesterday joined a number of airlines and nations grounding the Boeing 737 MAX. The news comes after two similar accidents involving the type in just six months. Now, the carrier is insisting that the manufacturer pays compensation after Norwegian grounded Boeing’s aircraft. While multiple airlines and aviation authorities continue to ground the Boeing 737 MAX, both Boeing and the FAA have so far refused to do so. They argue that the aircraft is safe to fly, while the FAA says that nobody has passed them data that would warrant action. Why is the 737 MAX being grounded? The Boeing 737 MAX has been involved in two fairly similar accidents in the space of six months. While the accidents have yet to be conclusively linked, there do appear to be some striking similarities. Both aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff. In the case of the Lion Air incident, this was caused by the nose being trimmed down by on board technology. Concerns are that a similar fault was the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines accident, and that the aircraft has a fundamental design flaw. However, until the investigation has been completed, this is nothing more than speculation. When it comes to aviation safety, erring on the side of caution is a good strategy, which is what many carriers and authorities have decided to do. Can Norwegian afford to ground the aircraft? The decision by Norwegian to ground the Boeing 737 MAX will not have been taken lightly. They took the proactive step of taking the MAX out of service of their own free will, although subsequently they would have had to anyway. Shortly after Norwegian announced their grounding, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency banned 737 MAX operations within the EU completely. Earlier in the year, Simple Flying reported that Norwegian was in financial difficulties, and in January the airline was looking to raise $350m. Grounding these aircraft will clearly be costly for the airline financially, however, safety is always the priority, and must come before profit. Will Boeing provide compensation? In a statement issued to RTE, Norwegian have said, “We expect Boeing to take this bill”. Whether Boeing will provide Norwegian compensation is an interesting question. For starters, Boeing is yet to ground the aircraft itself. It could argue that as they themselves didn’t deem the aircraft unsafe, no compensation is due. In the event that Boeing provides Norwegian with compensation, every other 737 MAX operator would also argue that they are entitled to payment too. This could end up costing Boeing dearly, especially as they continue to argue that the aircraft is safe. Whether Boeing will pay Norwegian’s bill is yet to be seen. Simple Flying has approached representatives of both Norwegian and Boeing for comment. Do you think Boeing should compensate airlines for grounding the aircraft? Let us know in the comments down below!<doc-sep>Want the latest breaking news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Norwegian will temporarily deploy a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to operate US flights from Dublin Airport to support affected customers. This comes in response to the instruction by the European aviation regulatory bodies to suspend operations of the Boeing 737 MAX. Norwegian is continuing to minimise inconvenience caused by the temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX. They have provided customers with SMS and web updates as well as care and assistance with re-routing passengers within the network. In a statement, Norwegian said that "customers booked on affected transatlantic routes to and from Ireland serviced by the 737 MAX will be rebooked onto flights using the 787-9 Dreamliner." They added: "Arrangements are being made to accommodate passengers booked to travel from Dublin to Stewart and Providence on the new Dreamliner service with plans to bus passengers to Providence upon arrival in New York. "We would like to apologise to affected customers and we remain committed to ensuring that customers can continue to travel on Norwegian’s network." The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has 338 seats configured with a Premium cabin offering 56 seats and 282 seats in economy.<doc-sep>Norwegian Air have said that they will temporarily deploy a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to operate US flights from Dublin Airport to support affected customers, with many stranded last night. A growing number of airlines around the world have grounded their Boeing 737 Max 8 jets following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed 157 people on Sunday. Hundreds of passengers bound for Dublin were stranded last night in the U.S after their flights were cancelled due to concerns surrounding the Boeing 737 Max 8. Norwegian Air, which flies the Max 8 from Dublin and Shannon airports, cancelled routes from Dublin to Providence, Rhode Island, Newburgh and New York. Expand Close Boeing 737 MAX 8 factfile (PA Graphics) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Boeing 737 MAX 8 factfile (PA Graphics) A flight from Dublin to Providence at 2.55pm today has been cancelled, and another one from Dublin to New York Stewart has been delayed this evening. Customers were told that they will be re-booked onto the next available service or can rebook or refund their ticket free of charge online. A Norwegian Air spokesperson said that customers booked on affected transatlantic routes to and from Ireland serviced by the 737 Max will be re-booked onto flights using the 787-9 Dreamliner instead. The 787 Dreamliner, registered G-CKWF with Charles Lindbergh on the aircraft tail, will operate the Dublin-New York Stewart route. Boeing has already stated it has full confidence in the safety of the plane but the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an emergency airworthiness instruction after the Ethiopian air disaster in which Irish aid worker Micheal Ryan died alongside 156 others on Sunday. The airline said today that it will seek compensation from plane maker Boeing for costs and lost revenue . "We expect Boeing to take this bill," Norwegian said in an emailed statement. Here is a list of airlines and countries that have grounded the aircraft so far: Expand Close A Boeing 737 Max 8 being built for Oman Air (Ted S Warren/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A Boeing 737 Max 8 being built for Oman Air (Ted S Warren/PA) Ireland Aviation authorities have suspended all variants of Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of Ireland's air space. Officials said they made the decision "based on ensuring the continued safety of passengers and flight crew". UK The Civil Aviation Authority said it had, as a precautionary measure, "issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK air space". Five 737 Max aircraft are registered and operational in the UK, while a sixth was due to come into service later this week. France The French Civil Aviation Authority has closed French air space to all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Officials said France is "carefully following the progress of the inquiry" relating to the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in Addis Ababa. It said French airlines do not have any Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, but as a precautionary measure authorities have decided to "forbid all commercial flights on a Boeing 737 Max departing from, travelling to, or flying across, France". Germany The transport ministry said the country is closing its air space to Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The ministry confirmed to news agency dpa comments made by transport minister Andreas Scheuer to n-tv television. The broadcaster quoted Mr Scheuer as saying safety is the priority, and "until all doubts are cleared up, I have ordered that German air space be closed for the Boeing 737 Max with immediate effect". Norway Norwegian Air Shuttle says it has grounded its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft on a recommendation from European aviation authorities. The low-cost carrier has 18 of the planes. Acting chief operating officer Tomas Hesthammer said: "The safety and security of our customers and colleagues will never be compromised, and once authorities advise to cease operations we will of course comply." Australia Australia has suspended all flights into or out of the country by Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority says no Australian airlines operate the aircraft type, but two foreign airlines - SilkAir and Fiji Airways - fly them to Australia. Director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody, says that because of the two accidents, the temporary suspension of Boeing 737 Max operations is in the best interest of safety. Netherlands Infrastructure and water ministry spokesman Roel Vincken says the government decided to close its air space following advice from the Dutch aviation authority. Poland State carrier LOT said it is grounding its five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. LOT received its first Max 8 in December 2017. It had been planning to have 15 by January next year. Italy The Italian Civil Aviation Authority says the Max 8 cannot operate to and from airports in Italy until further notice. The authority said the measure is precautionary, given the lack of "reliable information" regarding the cause of the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines jet. Canada Canadian charter airline Sunwing is suspending use of its four Boeing 737 Max 8 planes. Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he had no plans to ground Canada's fleet of 737 Max aircraft, but that "all options are on the table". Ethiopia Expand Close A Lion Air jet crashed in October (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A Lion Air jet crashed in October (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File) A spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines says it will ground its remaining four Max 8 jets as an "extra safety precaution" while it investigates Sunday's deadly crash. Asrat Begashaw said investigations and the search for bodies and aircraft debris will continue. The airline is awaiting the delivery of 25 more Max 8 jets. Brazil Brazil's Gol Airlines has suspended the use of 121 Max 8 jets. The airline said it is following the investigation of the Max 8 closely and hopes to return the aircraft to use as soon as possible. Gol said it has made nearly 3,000 flights with the Max 8, which went into service last June, with "total security and efficiency". Cayman Islands Cayman Airways, a Caribbean carrier, said it stopped using its two Max 8 jets starting on Monday. President and CEO Fabian Whorms said the airline is committed to "putting the safety of our passengers and crew first". Mr Whorms said the move will cause changes to flight schedules. Cayman is the flag carrier of Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory. It received its first Max 8 in November and its second earlier this month. China China has 96 Max 8 jets in service, belonging to carriers such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. The civilian aviation authority directed the planes to be grounded indefinitely on Monday. It said the order was "taken in line with the management principle of zero tolerance for security risks". There were eight Chinese citizens on the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after taking off on Sunday. The authority said it will consult the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing before deciding when to lift the ban. India India's Jet Airways says it is "in contact with the manufacturer" of Max 8 jets and has grounded five of them starting on Monday. Indian airline SpiceJet also uses the aircraft, but it is unclear if those planes are grounded. On Monday, India's aviation watchdog ordered a safety assessment of the aircraft. It also issued safety instructions for flying the Max 8 jet. Indonesia Indonesia says it will temporarily ground Max 8 jets to inspect their airworthiness. Director general of Air Transportation Polana B Pramesti said the move was made to ensure flight safety. A Lion Air model of the same plane crashed in Indonesia in October. Indonesian airlines operate 11 Max 8 jets. Lion Air, which owns 10 of them, said it will try to minimise the impact of the decision on operations. The other Max 8 jet belongs to national carrier Garuda. Mexico Mexican airline Aeromexico has suspended flights of its six Max 8 jets after the crash in Ethiopia.<doc-sep>
Norwegian Air is to temporarily deploy a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to operate US flights from Dublin Airport to support customers affected by yesterday's decision to ground its Boeing 737 MAX planes. The airline grounded all its 18 MAX planes yesterday in response to the instruction by the European aviation regulatory bodies to suspend operations of the carrier. Earlier the airline said it will seek compensation from plane maker Boeing for costs and lost revenue after grounding its fleet of 737 MAX 8 aircraft in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash. "We expect Boeing to take this bill," Norwegian said in an emailed statement. The Oslo-based airline has 18 'MAX' passenger jets in its 163-aircraft fleet. European regulators yesterday grounded the aircraft following Sunday's crash of a similar plane in Ethiopia, which killed 157 people and was the second crash involving that type of plane since October. Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said on Monday that he was confident in the safety of the 737 MAX in an email to employees, which was seen by Reuters. Industry sources, however, said the planemaker faces big claims after the crash. Norwegian has bet heavily on the MAX to become its aircraft of choice for short and medium-range flights in coming years as the low-cost carrier seeks to boost its fuel efficiency and cut the cost of flying. "What happens next is in the hands of European aviation authorities. But we hope and expect that our MAXes will be airborne soon," Norwegian Air's founder and chief executive Bjoern Kjos said. "Many have asked questions about how this affects our financial situation. It's quite obvious that we will not take the cost related to the new aircraft that we have to park temporarily. We will send this bill to those who produce this aircraft," he added. Idle planes will add to pressures on the airline, which is making losses amid intense competition at a time when several smaller European competitors have gone out of business. The carrier has raised 3 billion Norwegian crowns ($348m) from shareholders in recent months and said it would cut costs as it tries to regain profitability this year. Analysts said that if the situation gets solved within the next fortnight, it will not be very serious for Norwegian. But they said that if the situation continues into the Easter holidays, or May and June, then it is a problem. Europeans tend to book their summer holidays in May, so the grounding may not yet affect bookings for the peak season for the airline industry, they added. Meanwhile, Norwegian was maintaining its order for more aircraft of the same type from Boeing, spokesman Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen said. Norwegian is expected to take delivery of dozens more of the 'MAX' in coming years, raising the overall number to more than 70 by year-end 2021, according to recent company announcements. Shares in the airline have now dropped 10% this week as investors worried about the impact of the Ethiopian crash. Norwegian cancelled some flights yesterday, and today it cancelled at least three dozen departures, its website showed, most of which were due to fly from airports in Oslo, Stockholm and other Nordic cities. The airline was booking passengers on to other flights and using other types of planes from its fleet to help fill the gaps.