Trump Orders Grounding Of Boeing 737 Max 8 & 9 Jets
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) -- President Donald Trump says the U.S. is issuing an emergency order grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in the wake of a crash of an Ethiopian Airliner that killed 157 people.
Many nations in the world had already barred the Boeing 737 Max 8 from its airspace, but until now, the Federal Aviation Administration had been saying that it didn't have any data to show the jets are unsafe.
When asked for comment, a Massport spokeswoman told WBZ-TV "We're referring all inquiries about this to the FAA and to American Airlines and Southwest, which currently fly the MAX 8 to Logan [Airport]."
The FAA followed up the president's announcement by saying "new evidence" led to the grounding decision.
"The FAA is ordering the temporary grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory. The agency made this decision as a result of the data gathering process and new evidence collected at the site and analyzed today. This evidence, together with newly refined satellite data available to FAA this morning, led to this decision," the agency said in a statement.
Boeing also released a statement, saying it recommended the grounding "out of an abundance of caution."
"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," Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement.
Any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and then be grounded.
American Airlines, which has 24 of the now-grounded aircraft, said in a statement it "will be working to rebook customers as quickly as possible." Southwest, with 34 of the affected jets, said it was "currently seeking confirmation and additional guidance from the FAA."
Trump says pilots and airlines have been notified.
He says the safety of the American people is of "paramount concern."
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a presidential candidate who has been calling for the Max planes to be grounded, said it was "about time."
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