China on Monday ordered domestic airlines to suspend the commercial operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, citing the Ethiopian Airlines crash and another deadly accident of that same model in Indonesia. Noting the similarities between the two accidents, China’s Civil Aviation Administration said domestic airlines asked to ground all 737 MAX 8 aircraft by this evening.
The administration said the operation of the model will only resume after ensuring flight safety. The statement cited the Kenya-bound Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa yesterday, killing all 157 people on board.
It also mentioned the Indonesia Lion Air flight, which crashed after take-off from Jakarta in October last year, killing all 189 people on board.