Boeing Confident in 737 MAX Safety After Ethiopia Deadly Crash - CEO Statement

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is confident that the 737 MAX airplanes are safe, despite a deadly crash involving a jet of the same model that killed 157 people in Ethiopia on Sunday, company Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a message to his employees.

"We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX and in the work of the men and women who designed and built it," Muilenburg said in Monday's statement. "Boeing has delivered more than 370 737 MAX airplanes to 47 customers. Since its certification and entry into service, the MAX family has completed hundreds of thousands of flights safely".

Muilenberg cautioned his employees to stay away from speculation as the investigation into the crash unfolds. Earlier on Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that it will notify international carriers of the aircraft's continued airworthiness.

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"Today, the FAA will issue a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) for Boeing 737 MAX operators. The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety and performance of US commercial aircraft. If we identify an issues that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action", the agency said in a statement on Monday.

The crash involving Ethiopian Airlines' Flight ET 302/10 occurred on the morning of March 10, minutes after the Nairobi-bound plane took off from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. All 157 people from over 30 countries who were on board the Boeing plane were killed. The causes of the accident are yet unknown. According to the airline, the plane was well-maintained.

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Following the deadly crash, Ethiopian Airlines announced that it had decided to suspend the operation of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes as a precaution, with Cayman Airways and Chinese and Indonesian aviation authorities following suit. India announced a safety review, while Vietnam said that it would not grant licenses for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft until the investigation into the crash is completed.

The latest catastrophe in Ethiopia is the second fatal incident involving the narrow-body aircraft in less than five months.

In late October 2018, another Boeing 737 MAX 8, operated by Indonesia's Lion Air, plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, claiming the lives of 189 people. According to a preliminary investigation by the country's airport authority, the plane's sensors were showing incorrect speed and altitude readings during another flight hours before the disaster.

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