Is the Boeing 737 MAX 8, from the Ethiopian Airlines crash, dangerous?
A number of U.S. airlines, such as American Airlines, have said they will not ground their planes.
By YVETTE J. DEANEAn American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8, on a flight from Miami to New York City, comes in for landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York, U.S., March 12, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON)
The Civil Aviation Authority of Israel has not prohibited Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes from entering its airspace following the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.That position is bucking a trend of countries around the world that have suspended the aircraft’s operations.Following the crash, which left 157 people - including two Israelis - dead, at least 40 countries grounded their Boeing 737s, including China, India and many member states of the European Union, CNN reported.On Tuesday at midnight, the largest Czech airline Smartwings landed a 737 MAX 8 plane at Ben-Gurion Airport from the Canary Islands, according to Ynet. The aircraft was forced to divert its course after the European Aviation Safety Agency forbade the aircraft from flying through its airspace.The Czech plane, in hopes of returning home to Prague, turned to Greece, Spain and Italy to make an exception. The countries eventually let the plane fly onward, according to the report.The plane was supposed to return to Prague on Wednesday morning but then decided to stay docked in Israel due to complications in moving the aircraft through restricted airspace.An Israir airbus A320 flew the remainder of the passengers to Prague, while the plane stayed in Israel.Meanwhile, a Norwegian Air 737 MAX 8 heading for Tel Aviv turned back after it had already flown over Romania.Some US airlines, like American Airlines, have said they will not ground their planes."At this time there are no facts on the cause of the accident other than news reports," read an American Airlines statement. “We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in the report: “Thus far, our review shows no systematic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft.”The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines told Boeing Co. that they should ground all their 737 MAX 8 jets until it is proven that they are safe to fly, BBC reported.Reuters contributed to this report.
