BERLIN, March 12 — Germany today banned all Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from its airspace, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer announced, following a deadly crash in Ethiopia.
“Safety comes first. Until all doubts have been cleared up, I have ordered that German airspace be closed to all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with immediate effect,” he told NTV television.
There are currently no 737 MAX planes registered in Germany.
The minister’s announcement follows similar bans by a string of countries around the world after a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane of the same model crashed on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.
The same model of plane operated by Lion Air also crashed in Indonesia last October, killing 189.
Britain, China, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Oman are among the countries that have closed their airspace to the planes in response.
Earlier today, Germany’s TUI fly carrier said it was grounding its 15-strong fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes, which are stationed in Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. — AFP
