Colombia, Chile Say Close Skies To Boeing 737 MAX In Wake Of Tragedy In Ethiopia

The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia and Chile's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said they had decided to prohibit the flights of the Boeing 737 MAX series of aircraft over the territories of the two states following a catastrophe in Ethiopia

SAN NICOLAS/MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2019) The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia and Chile's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said they had decided to prohibit the flights of the Boeing 737 MAX series of aircraft over the territories of the two states following a catastrophe in Ethiopia.

"As of today, B-737 MAX airplanes will not be able to operate on the national territory of cross the Colombian airspace," the Colombian agency said in a communique on Wednesday.

Chile's Directorate General of Civil Aviation on the same day, announced that it would restrict Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights in the country's airspace.

Meanwhile, La Nacion news outlet reported, that Costa Rica's General Directorate of Civil Aviation banned the flights of Boeing 737 MAX in its airspace, too.

On Sunday, an Ethiopian Airlines' Boeing 737 MAX crashed minutes after its takeoff from Addis Ababa. All 157 people on board the plane were killed. Moreover, last October, Boeing 737 MAX of Indonesia's Lion Air crashed, killing 189 people.

The situation around Boeing 737 MAX prompted dozens of countries to either ground the plane series 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.