Australia's aviation safety authority has banned all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from flying to or from the country in the wake of two deadly plane crashes involving the brand new aircraft in the past five months. Overnight, the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency also suspended all 737 MAX flights in Europe as a precautionary measure. It followed similar moves by several countries including China, France, the UK, Turkey, Singapore, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Malaysia. Fiji Airways uses the Boeing 737 MAX planes on services from Nadi to Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. In what is a major blow for the aerospace giant Boeing and an unusual split from American aviation regulators, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said on Tuesday night that it was in the best interests of safety to ground the jets, operated here currently by Fiji Airways into Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Singapore's SilkAir also flies 737 MAX 8s into Darwin and Cairns, but was already moving those services onto older planes after Singaporean authorities grounded the MAXs earlier on Tuesday.<doc-sep>Getty Images: Boeing 737 Max prepares to take off. Australia’s aviation safety regulator has banned all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from flying in or out of the country following two deadly accidents in the last five months. The move from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority brings Australia into line with a growing number of countries that have grounded the brand new passenger jet. Overnight the European Union Aviation Safety Authority banned all flights in Europe, following similar moves from European nations the UK, France, Ireland and the Netherlands. New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority followed suit this afternoon, joining fellow Southeast Asian countries China, Singapore and Malaysia. The bans come on the back of a second accident involving the brand new commercial jet in five months. An Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa on a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. The same model aircraft flown by Indonesia’s Lion Air came down shortly after take off from Jakarta in October. All 189 people on board were killed. Boeing has since issued a statement saying that it will release new flight control software that it’s been working on since the first crash. “Boeing has been working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on development, planning and certification of the software enhancement, and it will be deployed across the 737 MAX fleet in the coming weeks,” the company statement said. The FAA has so far resisted pressure from its international peers to ban the US manufactured jet from flying. The aviation regulator has also come under pressure from the White House, with US President Donald Trump tweeting “Airplanes are becoming too complex to fly.” Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019 Only Singapore’s SilkAir and Fiji Airlines have been impacted by CASA’s move in Australia. Virgin Australia has 40 MAX aircraft on order, but stressed it will not introduce any aircraft to its fleet until it’s absolutely satisfied with its safety. CASA apologised to Australian travellers, adding that it’s keeping a close eye on events in the US. “This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia” CASA’s CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody said in a statement. “CASA is closely monitoring the situation and the suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available from Boeing, the United States Federal Aviation Administration and accident investigators,” said Mr Carmody. Business Insider Emails & Alerts Site highlights each day to your inbox. Email Address Join Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.<doc-sep>First Lion Air, now Ethiopian Airlines: What caused the Boeing 787 MAX 8 plane to plummet, killing 157 passengers? First Lion Air, now Ethiopian Airlines: What caused the Boeing 787 MAX 8 plane to plummet, killing 157 passengers?... The troubled Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft has been banned from Australian airspace in the wake of the horror Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people. Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority announced it was temporarily suspending operation of the planes while investigations into the cause of the accident continue. The United Kingdom and Malaysia have followed suit, with both countries announcing late Tuesday night (Australia time) they had suspended all Boeing 737 Max 8 flights in and out of their nations. Shortly after Norwegian Air, which operates 18 such planes, also announced it was grounding its’ Max 8 planes. While no Australian airlines currently use the aircraft, two foreign airlines fly them in Australian airspace. One of those is the Singapore Airlines-owned SilkAir, which has already grounded its MAX 8s. The other is Fiji Airways, which is yet to make a decision. A statement from CASA said it was working with Fiji Airlines to minimise any disruptions, and with regulators in Fiji and Singapore. Fiji Airways has two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, as well as other aircraft types in its fleet that will be substituted for the 737 MAX for services to Australia. “This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia.” CASA chief executive and director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody, said. “CASA regrets any inconvenience to passengers but believes it is important to always put safety first.” CASA’s announcement comes after Singapore’s aviation regulator today completely banned the use of the MAX aircraft in the country’s airspace. It joined China, Indonesia, South Korea and Mongolia in grounding the jets. Ethiopian Airlines, Cayman Airways, Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary SilkAir and carriers across China and Indonesia have grounded all MAX 8 planes in response to the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash at the weekend. Southwest, Air Canada and American Airlines are several carriers who continue to use the aircraft. Meanwhile, 30 of the same aircraft involved in the fatal Ethiopian Airlines disaster that killed 157 people at the weekend have been ordered by an Australian carrier. Australia’s second biggest airline, Virgin Australia, told news.com.au it was too early to comment on whether they will pull their order of 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8s following the fatal crash, which is the second incident involving the MAX 8 model in just six months. In a statement to news.com.au on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Virgin Australia says they will make a decision on their MAX 8 order as the investigation continues. “Safety is Virgin Australia’s number one priority,” the statement read. “Virgin Australia will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety. “There are currently no Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in our fleet. “We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to work with Boeing, CASA, and other relevant authorities as more information becomes available.” While investigations into Sunday’s crash are ongoing and the exact cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash is unclear, there are similarities between the Lion Air disaster six months prior involving the same Boeing aircraft model resulting in several airlines around the world to ground their fleet. On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines confirmed there were no survivors of flight ET 302 — a MAX 8 aircraft — carrying 157 people, including eight crew, on board. The horror crash occurred just six minutes after taking off from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa bound for Nairobi in Kenya. In October 2018, another MAX 8 went down just 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board. “It’s highly suspicious,” Mary Schiavo, an aviation analyst and former inspector general of the US Transportation Department, told CNN of the Ethiopian Airlines crash. “Here we have a brand-new aircraft that’s gone down twice in a year. That rings alarm bells in the aviation industry because that just doesn’t happen.” Virgin Australia is due to receive the 737 MAX 8s in November later this year, along with 10 of the MAX 10s. Captain John Lyons, president of the Virgin Independent Pilots Association who represent Virgin Australia and Tigerair pilots, said despite the tragedy he has the “utmost confidence in the Boeing 737”. “VIPA continues to have the utmost confidence in the Boeing 737 and the rigorous training that Virgin Australia provides its pilots,” Captain Lyons said in a statement. “We look forward to its introduction at Virgin Australia as it brings outstanding commercial advantages to the airline and enhanced customer appeal. “Boeing has delivered more than 10,000 737 aircraft since it first flew in 1967, accumulating nearly 300 million flight hours with the lowest fatality rate of passenger airliners. “Without exception, this makes the 737 the safest and most popular commercial jet ever.” In response to the tragedy, China has told its domestic airlines to ground their Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleets as the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 raises grave concerns about safety of the top-selling aircraft. The pilot of the 737 MAX 8 involved in yesterday’s crash reported difficulties just minutes after takeoff and asked to turn back to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. But within moments the plane crashed into the ground, killing all 157 people on board. China has now asked domestic airlines to temporarily ground the 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which was also involved in the fatal crash of a Lion Air flight in October, Beijing’s Caijing News reports. China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China, Hainan Airlines and Shandong Airlines have the aircraft in their fleet, and China Southern Airlines has another 34 on order. A blanket grounding in China — one of the world’s biggest travel markets — will be a huge blow to Boeing’s reputation, Bloomberg reports. Virgin Australia ordered the Boeing aircraft in 2012, with several other popular airlines using the model as part of their fleet. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co is the biggest operator of the MAX 8, with 31 aircraft, followed by American Airlines Group Inc and Air Canada with 24 each. Southwest is in contact with Boeing and “remains confident in the safety and airworthiness of its fleet of more than 750 Boeing aircraft,” spokesman Chris Mainz said in a statement. In the United States, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are all operators, using it on routes like Miami-New York and Dallas-Chicago. Other major carriers in Canada and Mexico — as well as roughly two dozen airlines across Europe, South America, Asia and Africa (including Icelandair, Aerolíneas Argentinas, LOT Polish Airlines and Air China). According to CBS, Boeing introduced the 737 MAX 8 in May 2017, the company has delivered roughly 350 planes worldwide, with more than 5000 orders placed for the latest generation of 737s. As of December 31, American Airlines had 24 of the planes in its fleet, and Southwest Airlines had 31 aircraft in service with more than 200 on order. United Airlines’ fleet includes 14 MAX 9 planes, a larger version of the MAX 8. The price per plane ranges from $US99.7-129 million ($A141.5-$A183.1 million), though discounts are usually given to clients for large orders. Its main competitor is the Airbus A320, which is also designed for short and medium-haul flights. — with AFP<doc-sep>
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has temporarily suspended the operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to or from Australia. While no Australian airlines operate the Boeing 737 MAX 8, two foreign airlines fly them to Australia, Singapore-based SilkAir and Fiji Airways. SilkAir has already temporarily suspended operation of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft which fly from Cairns and Darwin to the Asian city-state. Fiji Airways has two 737 MAX 8s. The suspension comes after 157 lives were lost in Ethiopia on Sunday and the 189 died in Indonesia in October when 737 MAX 8s crashed. Singapore on Tuesday joined neighbour Indonesia by suspending all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operations flying in and out of the country, citing the fatal crashes as grounds for the halt. Regional airline Silk Air, which operates six MAX 8 aircraft, will be affected by the Singapore announcement, alongside China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air. China announced on Monday that its aviation authority had grounded all Boeing 737 Max jets, pending further investigation, as did Cayman Airways CASA’s director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody, said that in light of the two recent fatal accidents, the temporary suspension of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations was in the best interests of safety. “This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia.” Mr Carmody said. CASA said the suspension would be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available from Boeing, the US Federal Aviation Administration and accident investigators.