U.S., Canada join list of nations banning Boeing 737 Max jets
The U.S. joined a growing list of countries Wednesday in grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft, following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed 157 people on Sunday. President Trump announced the decision would take effect "immediately."
The Ethiopia crash came just five months after a Indonesian Lion Air 737 Max plunged into the ocean under similar circumstances, killing 189 people.
Canada's transport authority announced on Tuesday that it was also banning all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft from its airspace. Earlier Tuesday the European Union also banned all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 jets from flying in the bloc's airspace, which includes 32 countries.
A dozen other countries had already suspended flights of the plane into or out of their airspace, and 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 has been picking through the rural Ethiopian crash site, searching for details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
Answers could take months. The plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders, the "black boxes," were found earlier this week. Ethiopian officials said on Wednesday that the boxes would be sent to Germany for analysis, but German officials later declined, saying they did not have the needed software. It is unclear where they will be sent next.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates air crashes, is assisting in the investigation led by Ethiopia. A source with the agency told CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave on Wednesday that it had not been given a sense of how badly damaged the recorders are, but added that sometimes they can look seriously damaged but still be completely intact inside their housings. Typically the NTSB is able to get a read-out from functioning recorder in 24 to 48 hours. If the recorders are in need of repair, it could take longer.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said late Tuesday afternoon it had found "no systemic performance issues" with Boeing's three-year-old aircraft. The FAA said it expected Boeing to soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly Lion Air crash in October, and update training requirements and related flight crew manuals.
Before President Trump announced Wednesday afternoon that the planes were being grounded, Boeing had said it saw no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies. Its technical team joined American, Israeli and other aviation experts in the investigation led by Ethiopian authorities.
Boeing's stock has fallen nearly 12 percent since the accident, wiping out $27 billion of market value.
Here is a list of airlines and countries that have grounded the aircraft so far:
Australia
Australia has announced a temporary ban on flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft, although none of its airlines currently operate them. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said Tuesday the ban will affect two foreign airlines — SilkAir and Fiji Airways — that use them for flights to Australia. The authority said Singapore's SilkAir has already grounded its 737 Max jets, and that the CASA is working with regulators there and in Fiji to minimize disruptions.
The authority said Fiji Airways has two 737 Max 8 jets in its fleet. The airline had hoped to continue flying the jets to Pacific destinations.
Brazil
Brazil's Gol Airlines has suspended the use of 121 Max 8 jets. The airline said it's following the investigation of the Max 8 closely and hopes to return the aircraft to use as soon as possible. Gol said it has made nearly 3,000 flights with the Max 8, which went into service last June, with "total security and efficiency."
Canada
Canada's Ministry of Transport said it had decided to ban the planes from the country based on the "possible similarity" between the Ethiopian and Lion Air crashes. The ban could pose challenges for U.S. carriers with routes that traverse southern Canadian airspace for domestic routes.
"This safety notice is effective immediately, and will remain in place until further notice," Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement. "The advice the experts have provided is based on the information they have been receiving; the requirements for new procedures and training for Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 flight crews they have already put in place; and the latest information available from the incidents."
Cayman Islands
Cayman Airways, a Caribbean carrier, said it stopped using its two Max 8 jets starting Monday. President and CEO Fabian Whorms said the airline is committed to "putting the safety of our passengers and crew first." Whorms said the move will cause changes to flight schedules.
Cayman is the flag carrier of Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory. It received its first Max 8 in November and its second earlier this month.
China
China has 96 Max 8 jets in service, belonging to carriers such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. The civilian aviation authority directed the planes to be grounded indefinitely Monday. It said the order was "taken in line with the management principle of zero tolerance for security risks."
Eight Chinese citizens were on the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after taking off Sunday. The authority said it will consult the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing before deciding when to lift the ban.
Ethiopia
A spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines says it will ground its remaining four Max 8 jets as an "extra safety precaution" while it investigates Sunday's deadly crash. Asrat Begashaw said investigations and the search for bodies and aircraft debris will continue. The airline is awaiting the delivery of 25 more Max 8 jets.
European Union
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency on Tuesday suspended all flights of Boeing 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 jets into, out of or within its airspace. The ban is effective as of 7 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time.
"EASA is continuously analysing the data as it becomes available. The accident investigation is currently ongoing, and it is too early to draw any conclusions as to the cause of the accident," the agency said in a statement.
Prior to the EU's move, Austria, France, Germany and Ireland issued their own bans on the aircraft. Icelandair suspended operations of its three Max 8 aircraft "until further notice," the airline said Tuesday, but said it was confident in the safety of the Max 8.
India
India's aviation watchdog said on Tuesday it would ground the aircraft "till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations."
Jet Airways said on Monday it was "in contact with the manufacturer" of Max 8 jets and has grounded five of them starting Monday. Indian airline SpiceJet also uses the aircraft, but it's unclear if those planes are grounded. Calls and emails to the company were unanswered Tuesday.
Indonesia
Indonesia said it will temporarily ground Max 8 jets to inspect their airworthiness. Director General of Air Transportation Polana B. Pramesti said the move was made to ensure flight safety. A Lion Air model of the same plane crashed in Indonesia in October.
Indonesian airlines operate 11 Max 8 jets. Lion Air, which owns 10 of them, said it will try to minimize the impact of the decision on operations. The other Max 8 jet belongs to national carrier Garuda.
Mexico
Mexican airline Aeromexico has suspended flights of its six Max 8 jets after the crash in Ethiopia. Aeromexico said it "fully" trusts the safety of its fleet but ordered the grounding to ensure "the safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers." It said other planes will take over the routes usually flown by the Max 8.
Norway
Norwegian Air on Tuesday suspended flights of the Max, citing "recommendations by European aviation authorities."
"[W]e have taken the decision to not operate flights using this aircraft type until advised otherwise by the relevant aviation authorities," Tomas Hesthammer, Norwegian's acting chief operating officer, said in a statement.
Singapore
Singapore has temporarily banned Max 8 jets — and other models in the Max range — from entering and leaving the country. The civil aviation authority said it was "closely monitoring the situation," and the ban will be "reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available." It added that it was in close communication with the FAA, Boeing and other aviation authorities.
SilkAir, a regional carrier owned by Singapore Airlines, has six Max 8 jets. It said the ban "will have an impact on some of the airline's flight schedules." The authority said flights to Singapore by China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air will also be affected.
South Korea
South Korean airline Eastar Jet said it will suspend operations of its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the same aircraft involved in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people. It said the aircraft will be replaced by Boeing 737-800 planes starting Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand. The airline added that it hasn't found any problems, but is voluntarily grounding the planes in response to customer concerns.
Turkey
Turkish Airlines halted flights of its 12 Max airplanes Tuesday, the carrier said.
United Kingdom
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has "issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace," the regulator said in a statement. The UK has five Max 8 jets in operation with a sixth one scheduled to start operating later this week, The Associated Press reported.
United States
President Trump on Wednesday issued an emergency order prohibition, directing the FAA to ground all 737 Max 8 and Max 9 planes. "The safety of the American people, of all people, is our paramount concern," he said.
The order affects 150 flights a day for Southwest Airlines. American Airlines has 24 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, which fly about 90 flights a day, largely to and from Miami. United Airlines has 14 Max 9 jets, flying approximately 40 flights daily, or less than 1 percent of the airline's daily flights.
Irina Ivanova, Kris Van Cleave and Aimee Picchi contributed reporting. The Associated Press also contributed reporting.
