Australia has announced a temporary ban on flights by Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, although none of its airlines currently operate them.
ABC News reports Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said the ban will affect two foreign airlines ‑ SilkAir and Fiji Airways ‑ that use them for flights to Australia.
It said Singapore's SilkAir has already grounded its 737 Max 8 jets and they are working with regulators there and in Fiji to minimize disruptions.
Fiji Airways which has two 737 Max 8 jets in its fleet released another statement yesterday saying that they have full confidence in the airworthiness of their fleet, as certified by their engineering team in accordance with Fijian and US Federal Aviation Administration standards.
Fiji Airways Boeing 737 Max 8 plane
Fiji Airways says it has followed a comprehensive induction and training process for their new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
The airline company says Fiji Airways' robust training programme is a core part of their commitment to safety.
It says that their Boeing 737 pilots and cabin crew receive extensive ground and simulator training, over and above the mandatory training set for the MAX 8 by the manufacturer.
Fiji Airways says the safety of their passengers and crew is, and always will be, their number one priority.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has told airlines it believes Boeing's 737 Max 8 model to be airworthy.
Boeing said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies.
It doesn't intend to issue any new recommendations about the aircraft to its customers.
So far, 15 countries have suspended flights of the plane into or out of their airspace.
They are Australia, Austria, Brazil, Cayman Islands, China, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
