# List of Boeing 737 MAX groundings

The Boeing 737 MAX airliner, which began service in 2017, was involved in two fatal accidents, Lion Air Flight 610 on October 29, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019, that resulted from a malfunction of the aircraft's new flight stabilizing software, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
After the Ethiopian Airlines crash, China and most other civil aviation authorities grounded the airliner over safety concerns. Other jurisdictions, including the U.S., followed suit as new evidence revealed similarities between both crashes. The groundings were ordered despite Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg's public assurances that the airplane was safe and a phone conversation with President Trump in which he "reiterated to the President our position that the MAX aircraft is safe", according to a Boeing statement. In response to increasing domestic and international pressure to take action, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the aircraft on March 13, 2019, reversing a Continued Airworthiness Notice issued two days prior. About 30 MAX aircraft were flying in U.S. airspace at the time and were allowed to reach their destinations. By March 18, every single Boeing 737 MAX plane (387 in total) had been grounded, which affected 8,600 weekly flights operated by 59 airlines across the globe. Several ferry flights were operated with flaps extended to circumvent MCAS activation.
The grounding subsequently became the longest ever of a U.S. airliner.

## Regulating agencies

Regulator grounding timeline 2019 :
| Date | Authority | Authority |
| March 11 | China | Civil Aviation Administration |
| March 11 | Indonesia | Ministry of Transportation |
| March 12 | Australia | Civil Aviation Safety Authority |
| March 12 | Austria | Ministry of Transport |
| March 12 | Belgium | Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport |
| March 12 | Bermuda | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Cayman Islands | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Equatorial Guinea | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | European Union and EFTA | European Aviation Safety Agency |
| March 12 | Fiji | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | France | Directorate General for Civil Aviation |
| March 12 | Germany | Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure |
| March 12 | India | Directorate General of Civil Aviation |
| March 12 | Greece | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Ireland | Irish Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Italy | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Malaysia | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Netherlands | Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate |
| March 12 | Oman | Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Meteorology |
| March 12 | Poland | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Portugal | National Institute of Civil Aviation |
| March 12 | Romania | Civil Aeronautical Authority |
| March 12 | Singapore | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Turkey | Directorate General of Civil Aviation |
| March 12 | United Arab Emirates | General Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | United Kingdom | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 12 | Vietnam | Civil Aviation Administration |
| March 13 | Albania | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Armenia | General Department of Civil Aviation |
| March 13 | Bangladesh | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Brazil | National Civil Aviation Agency |
| March 13 | Brunei | Department of Civil Aviation |
| March 13 | Bulgaria | Civil Aviation Administration |
| March 13 | Canada | Transport Canada Civil Aviation |
| March 13 | Chile | Directorate General of Civil Aviation |
| March 13 | Colombia | Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics |
| March 13 | Costa Rica | Dirección General de Aviación Civil |
| March 13 | Cyprus | Department of Civil Aviation |
| March 13 | Denmark | Danish Transport Authority |
| March 13 | Djibouti | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Egypt | Ministry of Civil Aviation |
| March 13 | Georgia | Civil Aviation Administration |
| March 13 | Hong Kong | Civil Aviation Department |
| March 13 | Iraq | Iraq Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Israel | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Jamaica | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Kosovo | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Kuwait | Directorate General of Civil Aviation |
| March 13 | Lebanon | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Macau | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Moldova | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Montenegro | Civil Aviation Agency |
| March 13 | Namibia | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | New Zealand | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Nigeria | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | North Macedonia | Civil Aviation Agency |
| March 13 | Panama | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Senegal | Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie |
| March 13 | Seychelles | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Thailand | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Trinidad and Tobago | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 13 | Ukraine | State Aviation Administration |
| March 13 | United States | Federal Aviation Administration |
| March 13 | Uzbekistan | Civil Aviation Agency |
| March 14 | Belarus | Department for Aviation |
| March 14 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Directorate of Civil Aviation |
| March 14 | Ethiopia | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 14 | Gabon | Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile |
| March 14 | Japan | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism |
| March 14 | Kazakhstan | Civil Aviation Committee |
| March 14 | Kiribati | Ministry of Information, Communications, Transport and Tourism Development |
| March 14 | Mexico | Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics |
| March 14 | Papua New Guinea | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 14 | Russia | Federal Air Transport Agency |
| March 14 | Rwanda | Civil Aviation Authority |
| March 14 | Serbia | Civil Aviation Directorate |
| March 14 | South Korea | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport |
| March 14 | Taiwan | Civil Aeronautics Administration |
| March 15 | Guatemala | Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil |
| March 15 | Iran | Civil Aviation Organization |
| March 15 | Paraguay | Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica |
| March 16 | Argentina | National Civil Aviation Administration |
| March 18 | Algeria | Directorate of Civil Aviation and Meteorology |
| March 18 | Uruguay | National Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure Direction |
| ↑ Covers the European Union and the European Free Trade Association members ↑ Taiwan CAA announced airspace closures similar to Japan, stating that the FAA grounding would affect all operators. |||
March 11
* China: The Civil Aviation Administration of China ordered all domestic airlines to suspend operations of all 737 MAX 8 aircraft by 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT), pending the results of the investigation, thus grounding all 96 Boeing 737 MAX planes (c. 25% of all delivered) in China.
* United States: The FAA issued an affirmation of the continued airworthiness of the 737 MAX. The FAA stated that it had no evidence from the crashes to justify regulatory action against the aircraft.
* Indonesia: Nine hours after China's grounding, the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation issued a temporary suspension on the operation of all eleven 737 MAX 8 aircraft in Indonesia. A nationwide inspection on the type was expected to take place on March 12 to "ensure that aircraft operating in Indonesia are in an airworthy condition".
* Mongolia: Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia (MCAA) said in a statement "MCAA has temporarily stopped the 737 MAX flight operated by MIAT Mongolian Airlines from March 11, 2019."
March 12
* Singapore: the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, "temporarily suspends" operation of all variants of the 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore.
* India: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released a statement "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the 737 MAX aircraft immediately, pursuant to new inspections.
* Turkey: Directorate General of Civil Aviation suspended flights of 737 MAX 8 and 9 type aircraft being operated by Turkish companies in Turkey, and stated that they are also reviewing the possibility of closing the country's airspace for the same.
* South Korea: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) advised Eastar Jet, the only airline of South Korea to possess Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to ground their models, and three days later issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) message to block all Boeing 737 MAX models from landing and departing from all domestic airports.
* European Union: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended all flight operations of all 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX in the European Union. In addition, EASA published a Safety Directive, published at 18:23, effective as of 19:00 UTC, suspending all commercial flights performed by third-country operators into, within or out of the EU of the above mentioned models The reasons invoked include: "Technical decision, data driven, precautionary measure: Similarities with the Lion Air accident data; Application of EASA guidance material for taking corrective actions in case of potential unsafe conditions; Additional considerations: no direct access to the investigation, unusual scenario of a 'young' aircraft experiencing 2 fatal accidents in less than 6 months".
* Canada: Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said it was premature to consider groundings and that, "If I had to fly somewhere on that type of aircraft today, I would."
* Australia: The Civil Aviation Safety Authority banned Boeing 737 MAX from Australian airspace.
* Malaysia: The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia suspended the operations of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft flying to or from Malaysia and transiting in Malaysia.
March 13
* Canada: Minister of Transport Marc Garneau, prompted by receipt of new information, said "There can't be any MAX 8 or MAX 9 flying into, out of or across Canada", effectively grounding all 737 MAX aircraft in Canadian airspace.
* United States: President Donald Trump announced on March 13, that United States authorities would ground all 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft in the United States. After the President's announcement, the FAA officially ordered the grounding of all 737 MAX 8 and 9 operated by U.S. airlines or in the United States airspace. The FAA did allow airlines to make ferry flights without passengers or flight attendants in order to reposition the aircraft in central locations.
* Hong Kong: The Civil Aviation Department banned the operation of all 737 MAX aircraft into, out of and over Hong Kong.
* Panama: The Civil Aviation Authority grounded its aircraft.
* Vietnam: The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam banned Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from flying over Vietnam.
* New Zealand: The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand suspended Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from its airspace.
* Mexico: Mexico's civil aviation authority suspended flights by Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft in and out of the country.
* Brazil: The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) suspended the 737 MAX 8 aircraft from flying.
* Colombia: Colombia's civil aviation authority banned Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from flying over its airspace.
* Chile: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation banned Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights in the country's airspace.
* Trinidad and Tobago: The Director General of Civil Aviation banned Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 planes from use in civil aviation operations within and over Trinidad and Tobago.
March 14
* Taiwan: The Civil Aeronautics Administration banned Boeing 737 MAX from entering, leaving or flying over Taiwan.
* Japan: Japan's transport ministry banned flights by Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft from its airspace.
March 16
* Argentina: The National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) closed airspace to Boeing 737 MAX flights.
June 27
* Belgium issued a NOTAM extending the 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 ban until 2020.

## Airlines

After the Ethiopian Airlines crash, some airlines proactively grounded their fleets and regulatory bodies grounded the others. (This list includes 6 more 737 MAX aircraft than the official FAA record; these aircraft may have powered on their transponders, but not delivered to an airline. Some pre-delivered aircraft are located at Boeing Field, Renton Municipal Airport and Paine Field airports).
Airline groundings timeline and fleet size :
| Date | Airline | Fleet size |
| March 10 | Ethiopian Airlines | 4 |
| March 11 | Aerolíneas Argentinas | 5 |
| March 11 | Air China | 15 |
| March 11 | Cayman Airways | 2 |
| March 11 | China Eastern Airlines | 3 |
| March 11 | China Southern Airlines | 24 |
| March 11 | Comair | 2 |
| March 11 | Eastar Jet | 2 |
| March 11 | Fuzhou Airlines | 2 |
| March 11 | Garuda Indonesia | 1 |
| March 11 | Gol Transportes Aéreos | 7 |
| March 11 | Hainan Airlines | 11 |
| March 11 | Kunming Airlines | 2 |
| March 11 | Lion Air | 10 |
| March 11 | Lucky Air | 3 |
| March 11 | MIAT Mongolian Airlines | 1 |
| March 11 | Okay Airways | 2 |
| March 11 | Royal Air Maroc | 2 |
| March 11 | Shandong Airlines | 7 |
| March 11 | Shanghai Airlines | 12 |
| March 11 | Shenzhen Airlines | 6 |
| March 11 | XiamenAir | 10 |
| March 12 | 9 Air | 3 |
| March 12 | Aeroméxico | 6 |
| March 12 | Air Italy | 4 |
| March 12 | Corendon Airlines | 1 |
| March 12 | Enter Air | 2 |
| March 12 | Fiji Airways | 2 |
| March 12 | Flydubai | 15 |
| March 12 | Icelandair | 6 |
| March 12 | Jet Airways | 8 |
| March 12 | LOT Polish Airlines | 5 |
| March 12 | Mauritania Airlines | 1 |
| March 12 | Norwegian Air International | 9 |
| March 12 | Norwegian Air Shuttle | 6 |
| March 12 | Norwegian Air Sweden | 3 |
| March 12 | S7 Airlines | 2 |
| March 12 | SilkAir | 6 |
| March 12 | Smartwings | 8 |
| March 12 | Sunwing Airlines | 4 |
| March 12 | TUI Airways | 6 |
| March 12 | TUI fly Belgium | 4 |
| March 12 | TUI fly Netherlands | 3 |
| March 12 | TUI fly Nordic | 2 |
| March 12 | Turkish Airlines | 14 |
| March 13 | Air Canada | 24 |
| March 13 | American Airlines | 24 |
| March 13 | Copa Airlines | 6 |
| March 13 | Southwest Airlines | 34 |
| March 13 | SCAT Airlines | 1 |
| March 13 | SpiceJet | 13 |
| March 13 | Thai Lion Air | 3 |
| March 13 | United Airlines | 14 |
| March 13 | WestJet | 13 |
| March 15 | Oman Air | 5 |
| Unknown | Samoa Airways | 1 |
| Unknown | TUI fly Deutschland | 1 |
| Total | Total | 393 |

### Effect on MAX flights

At the time of its grounding, the MAX was operating 8,600 flights per week.
About thirty Boeing 737 MAX aircraft were airborne in U.S. airspace when the FAA grounding order was announced. The airplanes were allowed to continue to their destinations and were then grounded. In Europe, several flights were diverted when grounding orders were issued. For example, an Israel-bound Norwegian 737 MAX aircraft returned to Stockholm, and two Turkish Airlines MAX aircraft flying to Britain, one to Gatwick Airport south of London and the other to Birmingham, turned around and flew back to Turkey.
On June 11, 2019, Norwegian Flight DY8922 attempted a ferry flight from Málaga, Spain to Stockholm, Sweden. However, the aircraft was refused entry into German airspace, and diverted to Châlons Vatry, France.
In a rare exemption, Transport Canada approved eleven flights in August and September 2019, partly to maintain the qualifications of senior Air Canada training pilots, because the airline has no earlier-generation 737s within its fleet. The airline used the MAX during planned maintenance movements, and ultimately flew it to Pinal Airpark in Arizona for storage.
In early October 2019, Icelandair moved two of its five MAX 8s for winter storage in the milder climate of northern Spain, making the entire flight with flaps extended to prevent MCAS activation.