China suspends Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after Ethiopian air crash

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has suspended all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes following the deadly crash in Ethiopia that killed 157 people.

According to a statement by the CAAC, all  domestic Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets would be out of action until 6 p.m. local time. The Administration will also notify airlines when to resume flying the jets after contacting Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure flight safety.

The Ethiopian airlines crash that occurred on Sunday 10 March, was the second one in less than six months that a new Boeing aircraft crashed just minutes into a flight. In October last year, a Lion Air plane crashed into the sea off the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, killing all 189 onboard.

“Given in both air crashes, the aircrafts were newly delivered Boeing 737 MAX 8, and both accidents occurred during the take-off, they share certain similarities,” CAAC said in a statement.

Ethiopian Airlines has also suspended its small fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 jets as an “extra safety precaution”  to pave way for investigations into the crash.