Japan Closes Its Airspace for Boeing 737MAX After Crash in Ethiopia - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has notified foreign airlines that it has decided to close its skies to Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 planes, becoming the latest country to take this step in response to the crash in Ethiopia, the Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday.

According to the news agency, Japan’s move followed the decision by the US Federal Aviation Administration to ground all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft based on a review of new data from this weekend's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet.

The media outlet noted that there were currently no Japanese airlines operating the MAX 8 and MAX 9, and foreign airlines that used these aircraft on routes to Japan had replaced them with other models.

The decision was taken after an Ethiopian Airlines MAX 8 plane crashed shortly after departure on Sunday, claiming the lives of all 157 people on board. Another Boeing 737 MAX crashed in Indonesia back in October, killing all 189 people on board.

The situation around the Boeing 737 MAX has prompted dozens of countries to either ground the plane series or close their airspace to the planes since Sunday.