Muscat: Oman has decided to temporarily suspend all operations of Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of all Omani airports, a statement from the Public Authority of Civil Aviation said.
In a separate statement, Oman Air said, "All Oman Air flights operated by 737 Max 8 will be suspended as soon as possible. We are in the process of rescheduling flights and will inform travellers of any cancellations."
Following a crash of 737 Max operated by Ethiopian Airlines on Sunday which killed 157 people, many countries including China, Singapore Indonesia and Australia decided to ground the Boeing 737 Max planes.
The national airline, Oman Air, is presently operating five Boeing’s 737 Max planes.
“Oman Air is monitoring the situation with regards to 737 Max 8 aircraft, and is in close contact with the manufacturer Boeing to understand if there are any implications for other airlines operating the same model,” Oman Air issued a statement on Monday. It added that the safety and well-being of the guests is over-riding considerations.
Oman Air has 25 of the same model on order.
The Ethiopian Airlines (ET 302) bound for Nairobi crashed minutes after take-off on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board and prompting the carrier to ground the rest of its fleet of the jets. It was the second crash of the 737 MAX 8, the latest version of Boeing’s workhorse narrow-body jet that first entered service in 2017. In October, a 737 MAX 8 operated by Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air crashed 13 minutes after take-off from Jakarta on a domestic flight, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said all Chinese airlines had to suspend their use of the 737 MAX 8 by 6 pm.
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