Countries around the world have banned the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from their skies but the US has so far stood by it. The UK, France and Germany were among those to ban the aircraft but their actions were mostly superseded when the European Aviation Safety Agency announced it was banning the planes from its airspace. This meant that some planes had to be diverted or returned to their departure airports. Among them were two Turkish Airlines flights bound for the UK. Other countries to suspend the MAX 8 included China, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Singapore and Vietnam. The moves come due to safety fears after two fatal crashes involving the aircraft model. Advertisement On Sunday an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed just minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing 157 people. In October last year, a Lion Air flight crashed off Indonesia, killing 189 people. Image: The Lion Air flight crashed in October, killing all on board But the US Federal Aviation Administration has stood almost alone in refusing to ban the aircraft from American airspace. The FAA's acting administrator, Daniel Elwell, said: "Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft. "Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action." Earlier, the FAA said it expected Boeing to roll out improvements to a computerised flight management "anti-stall system" in the next few weeks. In the US, the pilots' association for Southwest Airlines, one of those using the MAX 8, said it was "extremely confident that our entire fleet, including the MAX, is safe". But many of its passengers were tweeting to the airline's customer service employees asking if their flight was on a MAX 8 or threatening to cancel their flights if they could not be assured of safety. @SouthwestAir any statement on the 737 MAX? will you be grounding them until the issue is fixed? allow passengers to change flights at the same rate if theyre on one? please let us know! thanks! — Pete Griffin (@WhatUpPete) March 12, 2019 Hey @SouthwestAir what's the best way to confirm that my future flights are not on a Boeing 737 Max 8? I tried looking under my account for details but didn't find anything. — Laurie (@LPiddy) March 12, 2019 @SouthwestAir Are you grounding your Boeing 737 Max 8s? I have a flight coming up & am a little nervous. — Helen (@prsgrlks) March 12, 2019 The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, representing more than 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, called on their chief executive, Doug Parker, to "strongly consider grounding these planes until an investigation can be performed". Boeing stood by the aircraft, saying: "We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets. "The United States Federal Aviation Administration is not mandating any further action at this time, and based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators." Image: Memorial services have been held for some of the victims Donald Trump offered his thoughts on the issue, saying that planes were "becoming far too complex to fly". He added: "Split second decisions are needed and the complexity creates danger." Canada, the other major country that has not moved to ban the planes, said it was working with the US Federal Aviation Administration to determine if action is required. Canadian transport minister Marc Garneau said "all options are on the table". Image: The Ethiopian Airlines wreckage is being examined by investigators Another holdout was Kenya, despite the country losing 32 citizens, more than any other. Instead, Kenya's transport minister tried to reassure people that no Kenyan airline has the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane. Boeing's 737 has flown for more than five decades and the MAX 8, with bigger engines designed to use less fuel, entered service in 2017. The planemaker had hoped the aircraft would become the workhorse for global airlines. Deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague Oliver Vick in the Ethiopia plane crash. We express our heartfelt sympathies to his family and loved ones and mourn the loss of a passionate and talented friend who worked tirelessly for peace in #Somalia. We will miss Olly every day. pic.twitter.com/ow3QgMqGV6 — UNSOM (@UNSomalia) March 12, 2019 Meanwhile, another British victim of the crash was named. Oliver Vick had been working for the UN in Somalia and the global body said on Twitter that they "mourn the loss of a passionate and talented friend who worked tirelessly for peace in Somalia".<doc-sep>More than 50 nations have taken steps to ground the Boeing 737 Max, with restrictions ranging from banning the models from their airspace or airports to grounding any models in the fleets of airlines based in the country. The bans come three days after one of the planes crashed on a journey from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Nairobi, Kenya, killing all 157 people on board. It was the second fatal crash involving the Boeing 737 Max in less than five months, prompting questions and fears about its safety. The nations are grounding both the 737 Max 8 and 9, which are two versions of the same model. On the afternoon of March 13, following in the footsteps of dozens of other countries, the US finally moved to ground the plane, going back on an earlier FAA directive that maintained it was safe and could be flown. The following countries have implemented some form of ban: Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Cayman Islands China Canada Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Ethiopia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Mexico Mongolia Morocco Netherlands Norway Oman Poland Portugal Romania Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom United States This story has been updated to include Canada and the United States’ late-stage ban.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email UPDATE: Canada grounds Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft after Ethiopian Air crash Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes have been banned from flying over Europe’s airspace following the fatal crash of one of the jets operated by Ethiopian Airlines. On Tuesday, the European Union and other countries said the aircraft cannot fly over their airspace. Other countries have also taken action since Sunday’s accident, forbidding airlines from operating the plane. READ MORE: Boeing 737 MAX aircraft banned from European airspace after deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash While Canada is not among the countries grounding or banning the jet, moves by other countries impact Canadian airlines and travellers. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau is set to hold a press conference Wednesday morning to discuss the matter. Story continues below advertisement Here’s what Canadians should know: How does this affect Canadian airlines? Canadian airlines Air Canada, WestJet and Sunwing Airlines fly 41 planes of the type that crashed in Ethiopia. Air Canada has 24, WestJet flies 13 and Sunwing has four. READ MORE: Air Canada flight attendants’ union says crew don’t want to be forced to fly on new Boeing jets In a statement to Global News, Air Canada said it has cancelled some flights following the airspace bans. “Air Canada will be cancelling its Halifax to London and St. John’s to London flights today and tomorrow,” the airline said. READ MORE: Air Canada flights between Halifax and London affected by U.K. ban on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft “We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible through our Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa hubs,” it added, noting that affected customers can contact the carrier directly for more information. WATCH: Marc Garneau says Canada prepared to ground MAX 8 if need be 1:26 Marc Garneau: Canada prepared to ground MAX 8 if need be Marc Garneau: Canada prepared to ground MAX 8 if need be – Mar 12, 2019 WestJet told Global News in an email Tuesday that none of its flights is currently affected by the airspace bans. Story continues below advertisement “While we do have MAX aircraft that fly to Gatwick and Paris from Halifax, these flights are seasonal and do not start until late April. There are no impacts at this time,” the statement read. The airline added that it is in active discussions with Transport Canada, Boeing and other Canadian operators over the aircraft and will provide passengers updates if anything changes. Sunwing Vacations announced on Tuesday night it was grounding its four MAX 8 planes. “We are in the process of revising our flying schedule to accommodate the temporary removal of our MAX aircraft from service and we appreciate the patience of our retail partners and customers while we work to communicate these updates,” a company statement explained, adding it doesn’t expect services to be severely impacted. What options do passengers have? Gabor Lukacs, the founder of Canadian advocacy group Air Passenger Rights, explained to Global News that passengers’ options will vary depending on the situation. He said that airlines may be scrambling to arrange alternate plans for travel in the next 48 hours, and this could lead to delays. In this case, he said airlines are obliged to put passengers on the next available flight. “This became known today. If they cancel a flight today, it’s probably out of their control. It’s hard to shuffle things that quickly,” Lukacs said. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This became known today. If they cancel a flight today, it's probably out of their control. It's hard to shuffle things that quickly," Lukacs said. Story continues below advertisement If delays extend for several days, however, this is a situation in which he says passengers could be eligible for compensation. “If you cancel flights two weeks from now, that would be a whole separate issue,” he added. WATCH: Garneau confident process will protect Canadians from similar accident 1:04 Ethiopian Airlines crash: Garneau confident process will protect Canadians from similar accident Ethiopian Airlines crash: Garneau confident process will protect Canadians from similar accident – Mar 11, 2019 Lukacs noted that there is no law in Canada that allows passengers who feel unsafe flying on the Boeing planes to refuse to fly and demand a ticket refund. “Legally, the passenger has no right to cancel their tickets or change their tickets,” he said. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Legally, the passenger has no right to cancel their tickets or change their tickets," he said. Gabor said he hopes airlines will take this unique situation into account. “I would call on airlines to let passengers change their flights if they do not feel comfortable flying on that particular model,” he said. Story continues below advertisement Flight Centre travel agency also confirmed that Canadian airlines are not waiving flight-change or cancellation fees for such passengers. The stance from Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. comes amid a wave of requests from worried travellers who have, so far, been excluded from goodwill policies. Some Canadians voiced concern over this on social media Tuesday, calling on airlines to provide more answers. @WestJet we are about to take a family vacation all 8 We never worried about flying before with WJ . Given issues with ‘Boeing's 737 Max 8 planes’ and the number of groundings by various world airlines (10) how safe are these new aircrafts in your fleet? #cnn report this am — Terry Cotton (@nottoct) March 12, 2019 I always fly @AirCanada when I travel, but now I am reconsidering based on their decision to continue to use the #737MAX. I will NEVER step foot on that plane. And if you value your customers, you will let those already booked on a #737MAX8 flight reschedule. #Ground737Max — Snow (@Sn0wsangel) March 11, 2019 Why hasn’t Canada grounded or banned the planes? While Garneau said on Monday that Canada would not ground the Boeing aircraft, he changed his tone a day later. Garneau indicated on Tuesday that Canada is now considering grounding the planes, if needed. “I have directed my group of experts to be ready for all possibilities, including a decision to ground the MAX 8,” Garneau told reporters. The minister added that he has cancelled all his meetings for the day in order to come to a decision. READ MORE: How the Boeing 737 MAX 8 involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash is different from older 737s Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers’ Association of Canada, is calling on Transport Canada to ground the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Story continues below advertisement “We believe that Canadian consumers should be protected,” he told Global News. “In the best case, by having these planes grounded. In the second place, they should be giving out information allowing Canadian passengers to seek out other transportation without surcharges.” WATCH: Global fears grow over Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 planes 2:10 Global fears grow over Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 planes Global fears grow over Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 planes – Mar 12, 2019 What is Boeing saying? Boeing is standing by its plane amid the grounding and bans. On Tuesday, the company issued a statement saying it has “full confidence” in the aircraft. “Based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators,” it said. Boeing also confirmed Monday that it will deploy a software upgrade to the 737 MAX 8. Story continues below advertisement —With files from Global News reporters Andrew Russell and Morgan Smith, and The Canadian Press<doc-sep>
A growing number of countries are banning the Boeing 737 Max 8 from their airspaces and airlines are grounding their planes. The model has been involved in two fatal crashes in five months, including flights operated by Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air. The US announced the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 would be grounded on Wednesday afternoon. This map shows all the countries that have banned the Boeing 737 Max 8, and where airlines have taken their own action. The mass grounding comes after the plane model was involved in two fatal crashes within five months. The latest, over Ethiopia, killed 157 people on Sunday. The countries shown above in red are those where government agencies have banned the plane from its airports, and, in some cases, from its airspace altogether. Blue countries are those where at least one of its airlines has decided to ground the planes voluntarily. Many other countries around the world do not have any Boeing 737 Max 8 aircrafts in its fleets or that fly into the country, including Kenya, which had the largest number of victims in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. Here are the red countries, which have enforced some kind of ban: China Canada Hong Kong India Indonesia Kuwait Bermuda Malaysia Mongolia Oman Egypt Singapore Mongolia South Korea United States United Arab Emirates Vietnam Australia Fiji New Zealand Uzbekistan Kazakhstan Thailand suspended the use of the Thai Lion Air’s Boeing 737 MAX 9. And the European Union, which is made up of: Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom These countries have airlines that grounded the plane model: