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By Minyvonne Burke
At least three European countries and Norwegian Air joined a growing list on Tuesday of nations and airlines that have grounded all Boeing 737 Max aircraft after a Ethiopian Airlines crash killed all 157 people aboard.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority said that out of precaution it had “issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying U.K. airspace.”
Following recommendations by European aviation authorities, Norwegian Air said Tuesday that the Boeing 737 Max would be temporarily suspended and it “will not operate any flights with this aircraft type until further notice.”
“We would like to apologize to customers who will be affected by temporary cancellations and delays, but the safety and security of our customers and colleagues will never be compromised, and once authorities advise to cease operations we will of course comply,” the airline company said.
Aviation authorities in Ireland and France followed suit, saying in similar statements that commercial flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft were prohibited from departing, arriving or flying over their airspace.
The announcements came after Australia, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Argentina and Mexico’s Aeromexico also grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 jets. The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday said U.S. airlines could still fly the 737 Max 8 and its newer version, the Max 9.
The Max 8 plane, which was new and had been delivered to Ethiopian Airlines in November, crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday morning. There were 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard the Nairobi-bound flight, the airline said.
There were no survivors, and the cause of the crash is being investigated. The same model aircraft was also involved in a crash in Indonesia in late October that left 189 people dead.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, condemned the FAA’s decision.
“Out of an abundance of caution for the flying public, the @FAANews should ground the 737 MAX 8 until we investigate the causes of recent crashes and ensure the plane’s airworthiness,” he wrote on Twitter Tuesday.
In response to the growing pressure to keep the aircraft from flying, Boeing said it began developing enhancements to its flight-control software after the Indonesia crash and will implement those changes in the “coming weeks,” according to Reuters.