UK bans Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts from British airspace

Britain’s aviation regulator on Tuesday banned Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from the country’s airspace following a deadly plane crash in Ethiopia, mirroring a decision taken by other nations.

The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement headlined “Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft” that “as a precautionary measure” it had decided “to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace”.

Britain has joined several other countries in banning the US planemaker’s 737 MAX planes from their airspace. More airlines around the world grounded the jets following what is the second deadly accident involving the aircraft in just five months.

On Sunday, a new Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. In October, a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia, killing 189.

“Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the tragic incident in Ethiopia on Sunday,” the UK regulator added in its statement.

AFP