Airlines and aviation regulators across the world, including in the UAE, took the decision to ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft over fears of a technical issue with the plane.
Both the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed on Sunday and the Lion Air flight, which crashed in October last year, were using the Boeing model.
Some airlines have independently taken the decision to ground the plane, while some aviation authorities have decided to ban any 737 Max planes from taking off, landing, or flying over the airspace they control.
The Federal Aviation Authority, which licenses the airworthiness of the American-made plane says they continue to believe the plane with airworthy.
An investigation into the Lion Air crash found that the pilots were confused by an anti-stalling system, which pushed the nose of the plane down. Investigators said the system might have triggered accidentally.
Boeing said on Tuesday it will bring forward a software upgrade of its jets and issue new guidance to pilots by April.
Both incidents used the same model of plane, which crashed early into the flight and both pilots reported issues with the plane asking to return into the airport, but so far, that is as far as the connections between the two incidents go.
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Which airlines have grounded the Boeing 737 Max?
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Aerolineas Argentinas has temporarily suspended operations of its five Max 8 aircraft. Reuters -
Aeromexico. The Mexican airline said it suspended the operation of its six MAX 8 planes and those flights would be covered by the rest of its fleet. Marian Lockhart / Boeing -
American carriers such as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United are still operating its Max 8 fleets. Reuters -
Brazilian carrier GOL Linhas Aereas has grounded 7 planes Corbis -
Cayman Airways has grounded its two jets. Marian Lockhart / Boeing -
Chinese carriers like China Southern Airlines have grounded their Max 8 aircraft. Reuters -
Chinese carriers like Air China have grounded their Max 8 aircraft. EPA -
Chinese carriers like Hainan Airlines have grounded their Max 8 aircraft. -
Shanghai Airlines have grounded their Max 8 aircraft. AP Photo -
Canadian carriers like Air Canada and WestJet are still flying the Max 8. AP Photo -
Ethiopian Airlines, the carrier at the centre of the Boeing 737 Max 8 crisis, has grounded its fleet. AP Photo -
Fiji Airways are flying their Max 8 aircraft. Courtesy Fiji Airways -
Icelandair has grounded its active fleet. Jim Anderson / Boeing -
Lion Air and fellow Indonesian carrier Garuda Indonedia have their Boeing 737 Max jets grounded. AFP Photo -
Norwegian budget carrier 'Norwegian' has grounded 18 jets. EPA -
A Jet Airways Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircarft. India has closed its airspace affecting Jet and SpiceJet. Reuters. -
India said it will ground MAX aircraft. SpiceJet Ltd has 12 MAX 8s. Craig Larson photo -
Royal Air Maroc has temporarily grounded its 737 Max aircraft. Paul C Gordon / Boeing -
Oman has suspended 737 Max operations in and out of the country. This affects Oman Air which has five aircrafy. Bloomberg -
LOT, the Polish Airlines carrier, has grounded five jets. Alamy -
Singapore's SilkAir has grounded six aircraft. AP Photo -
South Korean airline Eastar Jet has grounded two planes. -
Leisure carrier TUI will ground 16 aircraft. AP Photo -
Turkish Airlines said it had suspended its 12 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. It operates 11 Max 8 and a Max 9 aircraft. AFP -
Flydubai has grounded 15 planes - 12 Max 8s and 3 Max 9s. Courtesy Anna Zvereva -
Also - Russian S7 Airlines said it would ground its two MAX 8 planes starting Wednesday and that the decision would not affect its flight schedules. South African British Airways's Comair has grounded its Max 8 plane and Canadian holiday carrier Sunwing is suspending its four jets.
