China and Ethiopia directed airlines to halt operations of the Boeing 737 Max 8 following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight near Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, which killed 157 people. The Ethiopian carrier grounded its entire fleet of 737 Max 8 aircraft hours after the disaster, citing safety concerns as it investigates the cause.
"Following the tragic accident of ET 302/10 March B-737-8 Max (ET-AVJ), Ethiopian Airlines has decided to ground all B-737-8 Max fleet effectively March 10, 2019 until further notice," the airline stated. The move followed a similar crash in Indonesia in October 2018, which killed 189 people aboard a Lion Air flight.
China's Civil Aviation Administration ordered domestic carriers to suspend 737 Max 8 operations by 6pm local time on March 11, 2019, citing "similarities" between the two incidents. The agency said aircraft would remain grounded until safety measures are confirmed, while contacting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing for collaboration.
Boeing has delivered 76 737 Max aircraft to Chinese airlines, with another 104 on order as of January 2019. The company operates a joint venture in Zhoushan, China, where interiors of 737 Max planes for local carriers are completed after assembly in Washington state.
