The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has ordered all Chinese airlines to temporarily suspend flights and ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes following the tragic crash in Ethiopia that killed 157 people.
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The CAAC issued a notice on Monday ordering all local airlines to suspend the commercial operation of the Boeing 737- Max 8 aircraft before 6:00 PM (local time).
The notice mentioned that there have been two plane crashes in the past four months involving a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane.
Aside from the Ethiopian crash, the other one took place in October when a Lion Air plane crashed into the sea killing all 189 passengers.
The CAAC said that they will be grounding such aircraft “in view of the fact that the two air crashes were newly delivered Boeing 737-8 aircraft” and had “certain similarities.”
The aviation authority added that the decision was “in line with our principle of zero tolerance for safety hazards and strict control of safety risks”.
The CAAC said that they will be coordinating with US aviation authorities and Boeing before lifting the suspension.
