Brazil Temporary Suspends Operations Of Boeing 737 MAX After Crash In Ethiopia - Regulator

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2019) Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) said it had decided to temporary bar airlines from flying Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in the wake of the deadly crash in Ethiopia, following the example of dozens of other countries.

The fatal accident occurred on Sunday. The plane crashed just after taking off from Addis Ababa. All 157 people on board the Ethiopian Airlines' plane were killed in the accident. Notably, the crash was the second accident involving the plane over the past five months. In late October, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 of the Indonesian Lion Air carrier plunged into the Java Sea shortly after the take-off, claiming the lives of 189 people.

"After the crash of two Boeing 737-8 planes and due to the similarities between these two cases, we have decided to suspend the commercial use of Boeing 737-8 by Brazilian companies as a preventative measure," the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

ANAC added that the ban would remain in force until measures ensuring the safety of flights have been taken.

The situation around Boeing 737 MAX prompted aviation authorities and airlines from dozens of countries to either ground all 737 MAX 8 series aircraft or close their airspace to the planes.

Boeing, in its turn, said in a statement on Wednesday that it had "full confidence" in the safety of its 737 MAX aircraft but supported the decision to temporarily ground the entire fleet of 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 9 series planes in the wake of the deadly crash in Ethiopia.