Australia bans Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after two fatal crashes in six months
With countries around the world grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8, Virgin Australia has announced a change of plans for the fleet of planes it was set to acquire later this year.
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Virgin Australia won’t introduce the contentious Boeing 737 Max 8 jets unless it’s satisfied they’re safe.
The airline’s announcement comes after the air safety regulator suspended the operations of all planes of that model flying to or from Australia after two crashes in the past five months claimed more than 300 lives.
Virgin Australia currently has 30 of the Max 8 aircraft on order and previously said it was “too early” to make comment on the purchase.
But in a statement today, the airline said: “Safety is Virgin Australia’s number one priority.
“Virgin Australia will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety.
“There are currently no Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in our fleet.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to work with Boeing, CASA, and other relevant authorities as more information becomes available.”
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In a move that will have serious ramifications for US aerospace giant Boeing, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority yesterday told Singapore-based budget airline Silk Air and Fiji Airways — the two airlines which fly the model into Australia — it is temporarily suspending the jet’s use as a safety precaution.
Silk Air had already grounded its fleet of six Boeing 737 Max 8s earlier on Tuesday.
CASA said Fiji Airlines has one 737 Max 8 currently in Australia which will be allowed to fly back to Fiji.
CASA’s chief executive Shane Carmody said: “This is a temporary suspension while we wait for more information to review the safety risks of continued operations of the Boeing 737 MAX to and from Australia.”
A new Boeing 737 Max 8 that had recently been delivered to Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday killing all 157 passengers on board.
The same model aircraft, operated by Indonesian Lion Air, crashed into the sea last October killing 189 people on board.
Airlines across the world have now grounded their 737 Max 8s.
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Virgin Australia has 30 of the new jets on order but will await an investigation into the latest crash. The order is due in November, and the airline said: “we believe there is sufficient time to consider the outcome of the investigation and make an assessment.”
Aviation experts have criticised the autopilot software on the jet that takes control off the pilot if it thinks the plane is going to stall.
Boeing issued a statement saying it will upgrade the software on the jet just a few hours after the US Federal Aviation Administration said it would mandate “design changes” in the jet by April.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it was “temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months.”
It comes as airlines around the world remove the model from their schedules, while US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the jet.
SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Other airlines operating the planes to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.
The regulator said it was working with the city-state’s Changi Airport - a major global hub - and affected airlines to minimise any impact on passengers.
“During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore,” it said.
“The suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available.”
OTHER COUNTRIES GROUNDING THE 737 MAX 8
China: Beijing ordered domestic airlines to suspend operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 on Monday, citing the two crashes.
Noting “similarities” between the two incidents, China’s Civil Aviation Administration said operation of the model would only resume after “confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety”.
Indonesia: Jakarta has grounded its 11 jets of the 737 MAX 8 type. Inspections of the aircraft were due to start on Tuesday and the planes would remain grounded until they were cleared by safety regulators, Director General of Air Transport Polana Pramesti told reporters.
South Korea: Seoul’s transport ministry said that the two Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes operated by the country’s budget airline Eastar Jet would be grounded pending an inspection.
Mongolia: The Mongolian Civil Aviation Authority said on Facebook it had ordered the state carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines to ground the sole Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet.
Airlines that have grounded the jets include Ethiopian Airlines, the South African airline Comair, Brazil’s Gol Airlines, Aeromexico and Aerolineas Argentinas.
Aviation authorities in the US, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Iceland, Norway, the UAE, Oman and India said they were monitoring the situation but had not grounded the aircraft.
AVIATION EXPERT EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE
AirlineRatings.com editor Geoffrey Thomas has defended both Boeing’s aircraft and Virgin’s plans to roll out the aircraft on Australian runways soon.
He told News Corp Australia it was an extremely popular plane that had a fantastic track record.
“I have absolute confidence in Boeing and the 737, as do the airlines that have ordered them.” he said.
“It’s the most reliable aeroplane out there today and Boeing has sold 15,000 of these planes.
“It’s the most successful in history as far as planes are concerned.
“Boeing have a backlog of almost 5000 to build. A lot has been written about the Max 8 but a lot of it is not true.”
Mr Thomas said at this point the only similarity between the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes was they both involved the Max 8.
“It’s so early and information is sketchy to even draw parallels other than they were both Max-8s. That’s the end as far as similarities are concerned,” he said.
Mr Thomas thought Virgin Australia would be looking forward to getting the Max 8 as they were about 15 per cent more fuel efficient than what was currently used.
“It’s a magnificent aeroplane, unfortunately there has been bad publicity after the Lion Air crash.”
Mr Thomas said the Ethiopia crash impacted with such force that there was barely anything left, so it may cause problems in finding the plane’s black box and determining the cause of the latest air disaster.
Boeing has sent a technical team to assist with the investigation which is being led by Kenyan, Ethiopian and US authorities.
“If it turns out there needs to be a slight adjustment after this accident that will be done and we will move on … all planes have problems from time to time, including Boeing and Airbus,” he said.
Updated Statement on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302: https://t.co/0jyiFuGHIE pic.twitter.com/Unl92SYykI
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) March 10, 2019
Mr Thomas said the software issue uncovered in the Lion Air crash investigation was in the plane manual but there’s a lot of things pilots would not know about the plane.
“It’s impossible to understand every single system on the plane as they’re so complex,” adding that sort of level of understanding was a matter for engineers, not pilots.
“According to experts who train pilots, only ten per cent have an intimate detailed knowledge of the plane. They’re not engineers, they’re not aviation experts, they fly the plane and they respond.
“The Lion Air crash was absolutely maintenance related and this one is too early to tell,” he said.
Following the Indonesia crash, Boeing was accused of failing to inform pilots of a new anti-stalling feature that could push its nose down unexpectedly.
The manufacturer defended the aircraft after that crash, saying it was a safe as any to have ever flown in the skies.
The Max-8 involved in the Ethiopia crash was delivered brand new to Ethiopian Airlines in November 2018.
The newer model plane has been used by major airlines globally for the last two years.
A spokesman from Boeing said they were “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
“We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team.”
Originally published as Australia bans Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after two fatal crashes in six months
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