Ethiopian, Chinese, and Cayman Islands carriers suspended Boeing 737 Max 8 operations following the March 10, 2019 crash that killed 157, adding to 189 deaths from October 2018's Lion Air disaster.
The 737 Max 8, introduced commercially in May 2017, faced global scrutiny after both incidents. The Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff, while the Lion Air crash in Indonesia occurred 12 minutes post-departure. Both involved newly delivered aircraft with similar technical profiles.
Ethiopian Airlines grounded its entire 737 Max 8 fleet on March 10, 2019, stating, "We have decided to ground all B-737-8 MAX fleet effective yesterday... as an extra safety precaution" during ongoing investigations.
China's civil aviation authority suspended the aircraft model, citing "certain similarities" between the two crashes. The Ethiopian Airlines disaster claimed lives from at least 35 nationalities, including 32 Kenyans, with notable victims such as journalist Anthony Ngare and Kenya Airports Authority officials.
