China grounds 737 Max, India and Others Monitoring Situation

The unfortunate crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019 was the second such incidence in less than 6 months.

Lion Air Flight 610 had crashed on October 29, 2018. While I am not aware of the exact details, the circumstances of both crashes look eerily similar. Flight 610 had crashed 12 minutes into departure and Ethiopian Fight 302 crashed 6 minutes post takeoff. Both aircraft were newly delivered Boeing 737 Max 8.

Naturally, aviation regulators around the world are taking notice.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement on Monday morning that all domestic Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets would be out of action. Till such time that it hears for Boeing and the Chinese airlines and is convinced of passenger safety.

At 97 planes, China has one of the world largest fleets of Boeing 737 MAX 8.

I expect other regulators and airlines to follow suit. Cayman Airways voluntarily decided to ground its fleet.

The commercial aviation regulator in India – DGCA – is seeking information from Jet Airways, Spicejet and Boeing regarding Boeing 737 Max aircraft. This is according to a DGCA official.

In the Middle East market, FlyDubai is one of the largest customers for Boeing 737 Max. There are 11 in active service and hundreds more in pending orders. I expect Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and General Civil Aviation Authority will also be monitoring the situation.

While there is no official announcement, it appears FlyDubai has changed the aircraft from Boeing 737 Max 8 to Boeing 737 in its Tbilisi route (FZ 8505). According to Flightradar

However, flights to Moscow, Prague (also use 737 Max 8) seem to be operating.

Oman Air was the first airline in Middle East to issue a statement in this regard. It said “Oman Air is monitoring the updates in regards to the B737 Max 8 aircraft and is in close contact with Boeing to understand if there are any implications for other airlines operating the same model”