Flydubai only UAE airline affected
DUBAI 13 March 2019: Flydubai’s fleet of 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 2 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft have been grounded, following a ban directive issued by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
The ban comes after the plane model carrying 157 Ethiopian Airways passengers and crew crashed killing all.
Flydubai is the only airline in the UAE which flies Boeing 737 Max planes. Emirates, Etihad and Air Arabia do not have the model as part of their fleet.
“Flydubai is adjusting its schedule to minimise disruption to passengers and will operate flights with its fleet of Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Where there are flight cancellations Flydubai will contact passengers directly,” said a tweet from the Dubai Government Media Office.
“Flydubai continues to be in touch with the manufacturer and regulator,” it added.
GCAA ban a precautionary measure
ABU DHABI: Following the Ethiopian Airways crash involving a Boeing 737-8 MAX, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority issued a Safety Decision banning the operation of all Boeing 737 MAX models in the UAE airspace with effect from 13 March 2019, 00:01 UTC Time until further notice.
The ban is a precautionary measure aimed at protecting public safety in the air and on the ground.
The GCAA will continue monitoring and re-assessing the situation as more information is obtained about the accident, said Wam.
UAE’s GCAA cooperates with US FAA, Boeing on Ethiopian crash
GCAA announced that it is cooperating with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Boeing, to collect data aimed around the reason behind the Ethiopian Airways jet that crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa two days ago, killing all 157 aboard.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the GCAA said that it is “working closely with the FAA and Boeing to gather more information about the Ethiopian Airways B737 Max 8 accident for taking appropriate safety actions.”
The UAE aviation authority also contacted the Chinese NAA (CAAC), Cayman CAA and Ethiopian Airways to seek more information on the reason behind them grounding their respective fleets, the statement added.
“The GCAA is closely assessing the situation for taking any necessary safety action in a timely manner. The GCAA will not be reluctant to ground the UAE Registered Boeing 737 Max Fleet, if required, to ensure the highest standards of aviation safety is achieved. The GCAA will issue updates on this matter as required,” the statement concluded.
More countries grounding Boeing’s MAX 8 jets
After two of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets crashed within 6 months, 33 countries and nearly 30 airlines have suspended operation of the fuel-efficient aircraft in the span of two days, said an AP report carried by Wam.
The European Union aviation authority banned flight operations of Boeing 737 Max jets, a huge blow to Boeing’s efforts to maintain the confidence of governments and airlines. The U.S. and Canada are still allowing the aircraft to operate until more information is available from the FAA.
Countries that have grounded the jet include the following:
- European Union (28 countries)
- Australia
- China
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
Airlines that have grounded the jet include the following:
- Flydubai
- Singapore Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Air China
- Shanghai Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
- Xiamen Airlines
- Lion Air
- GOL Airlines
- Shandong Airlines
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- China Eastern Airlines
- Ethiopian Airways
- Lucky Air
- Fuzhou Airlines
- Kumming Airlines
- Okay Airways
- Eastar Jet
- Royal Air Maroc
- 9 Air Comair
- MIAT Mongolian Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- Norwegian Air Shuttle
- Turkish Airlines
- Iceland Air
- Aeromexico
- Cayman Airways
- Jet Airways
- LOT Polish Airlines
EU joins growing list of entities grounding Boeing 737 Max 8 jets
BRUSSELS: The European Union has grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 jets, the latest entity to do so after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed 157 people on Sunday. That disaster came just five months after a similar Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean, killing 189.
Prior to that move, a dozen countries suspended flights of the plane into or out of their airspace, including the United Kingdom on Monday. A growing number of airlines are also putting a halt to flights of the new Boeing 737 Max 8, with some citing worried customers. Meanwhile, a global team of investigators is picking through the rural Ethiopian crash site on Tuesday, searching for details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff. Answers could take months.
Boeing, however, has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies. It doesn’t intend to issue any new recommendations about the aircraft to its customers. Its technical team joined American, Israeli and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.
France airspace no-go to Boeing 737 MAX planes
PARIS: France has banned Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 medium-haul workhorse jet from their airspace in response to the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board.
“Given the circumstances of the accident in Ethiopia, the French authorities have taken the decision, as a precautionary measure, to ban all commercial flights of Boeing 737 MAXs into, out of, or over French territory,” the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (France DGAC) said.
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