737 MAXs temporarily halt service

Writer: Han Ximin  | Editor: Holly Wang  | From:  | Updated: 2019-03-12

Airlines operating at the Shenzhen airport have suspended commercial operation of the Boeing 737 MAX airplanes following the instruction of China Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC), citing the Ethiopian Airlines crash Sunday and another deadly accident of the same model in Indonesia six months ago.

CAAC ordered domestic airline companies to ground all 737 MAX aircraft before 6 p.m. yesterday. The two accidents involved new Boeing 737 MAX airplanes and happened during the take-off phase. It is unknown when operation of the model will resume.

There are a total of 96 Boeing 737 MAXs in operation in China. Major airlines, including Air China, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines, have been flying the model in commercial operation. China Southern Airlines owns 24 of the aircraft, but none of them have been used on routes linking with Shenzhen, according to the airline’s Shenzhen company.

The CAAC order could have forced domestic airlines to cancel flights or use different models of aircraft. According to Shenzhen Airlines, the company has purchased five 737 MAX aircraft and more than 20 flights have been affected. After adjustments, eight of the airline’s flights were ultimately canceled.

Hainan Airlines said yesterday that it has halted 11 737 MAXs, including three serving the Shenzhen airport.

The Kenya-bound Ethiopian Airlines crash killed all 157 people on board. The New York Times said this was the second brand-new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to have crashed in half a year. The airplane that crashed Sunday had been delivered to the airline in November. The Indonesia Lion Air crash last October killed all 189 people on board.

China is an important market for the U.S. aircraft company, accounting for about one-fifth of worldwide deliveries of the Boeing 737 MAX model.

The company has delivered 96 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Chinese airlines, which have ordered another 104, according to data from Boeing’s website updated through January.

Ethiopian Airlines also grounded its Boeing 737 MAX fleet yesterday. “Although we don’t yet know the cause of the crash, we had to decide to ground the particular fleet as extra safety precaution,” the airline said.

Ethiopian Airlines has four 737 MAX jets, not counting the one that crashed Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.