New Delhi:
The United States issued an emergency order to ground all Boeing 737 Max aircraft, a decision a number of countries, including India, have taken following the second deadly crash of the plane in less than five months in Ethiopia. "All those planes are grounded immediately," US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. The United States is one of the major last countries to have taken a decision to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft. These planes would be grounded till further orders, he said. That crash was the second involving the jet after a 787 Max operated by Lion Air, an Indonesian carrier, crashed into the Java Sea in October similarly and 189 people died.
Several other countries, including India, China and all of Europe, have ordered the jets off air after the crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia on Sunday. The aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. Four Indians were among those killed.
A growing number of countries around the world have barred Boeing 737 MAX 8 from their airspace following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane.
Earlier, India decided to ban the use of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft by the country's airline companies. "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a tweet.
"As always, passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety," it added.
Trump's announcement came as political and international pressure on the airliner started to build.
He said all 737 Max planes currently in the air would be grounded upon reaching their destination. Boeing, the company, agree with the action, he added.
"Safety is our paramount concern," Trump added.
He expressed hope that Boeing will get to the bottom of the problem with the planes, but until then the jets will remain grounded.
Boeing said "out of an abundance of caution", it has decided to recommend to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the temporary suspension of operations of the entire global fleet of the jets.
"On behalf of the entire Boeing team, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in these two tragic accidents," said Dennis Muilenburg, president, CEO, and chairman of Boeing Company.
"We are supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution. Safety is a core value at Boeing for as long as we have been building airplanes; and it always will be. There is no greater priority for our company and our industry. We are doing everything we can to understand the cause of the accidents in partnership with the investigators, deploy safety enhancements and help ensure this does not happen again," he said.
