Russian Airlines Still Interested In Purchasing Boeing 737 Max Jets - Transport Minister

Russian airlines have not revised their plans to purchase Boeing 737 Max jets after the deadly plane crash in Ethiopia, Russian Transport Minister Evgeny Ditrich said on Friday

SOCHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2019) Russian airlines have not revised their plans to purchase Boeing 737 Max jets after the deadly plane crash in Ethiopia, Russian Transport Minister Evgeny Ditrich said on Friday.

On Thursday, Russian Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsiya banned flights of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in Russia's airspace because of the recent crash.

"[Russia] has suspended [flights of Boeing 737 MAX jets]. I am sure that our airlines will hold necessary consultations with the manufacturer. Our airlines have not given up [the contracts] yet, according to my information," Ditrich said.

There are three Russian airlines that have contracts on purchasing Boeing 737 MAX jets: Utair, Pobeda and Ural Airlines.

"Boeing has always been known as a reliable supplier of safe planes. I really hope that they will cope with this problem in the near future," Dietrich added.

On Sunday, a Boeing 737 Max 8, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing all 157 people from more than 30 countries on board.

The crash in Ethiopia was the second fatal incident involving the narrow-body aircraft in less than five months. In late October 2018, another Boeing 737 MAX 8, operated by Indonesia's Lion Air, plunged into the Java Sea shortly after take-off, claiming the lives of 189 people. According to the preliminary investigation, the plane's sensors were showing incorrect speed and altitude readings.

In the wake of Sunday's crash in Ethiopia, aviation authorities and airlines around the world, including in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, the European Union and China have either grounded all 737 Max 8 series aircraft or closed their airspace to them.