The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA) announced Wednesday it temporarily banned Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from its airspace following a second deadly crash involving the model within five months.
A Boeing 737 MAX being used in the US. Photo by AFP
The ban, which took effect since 10 am March 13, aims to ensure aviation safety following the Ethiopian Airlines crash last Sunday.
In a meeting on Monday, CAA also said it would not grant licenses for the use of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in the country.
CAA chief Dinh Viet Thang said no Vietnamese airlines were currently using the aircraft.
"There are currently 180 aeroplanes registered by Vietnamese carriers," Thang said, adding that Airbus’ A350-900, A320, A312 and Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner and 747 are the most common planes in use by Vietnamese carriers.
Speaking with local media on Wednesday morning, a representative of budget carrier Vietjet Air said that they were closely watching the investigation of the crash in Ethiopia and would follow instructions by local authorities to ensure flight safety.
Vietjet Air placed an order for 100 737 MAX aeroplanes in late February, including 80 737 MAX 10 and 20 of the MAX 8 model, when US President Donald Trump met with Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi before the second summit with the chairman of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kim Jong Un.
“The first aircraft in Vietjet Air's order is supposed to be delivered in October,” Thang told the Monday meeting. "We had a meeting about this issue and came to the decision that we will not be reviewing licenses for the use of Boeing 737 MAX planes until the causes for the crashes are identified and the US Federal Aviation Administration takes proper remedial measures.”
Over the past days, several countries and airlines have grounded their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes over safety concerns.