Canada is grounding all of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft and banning the jet from entering its airspace until further notice as safety concerns continue to mount following two deadly crashes.

"This safety notice restricts commercial passenger flights from any air operator, both domestic and foreign, of the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft from arriving, departing, or overflying Canadian airspace," Transport Minister Marc Garneau told reporters earlier today. (The Max 9 has an extended fuselage, but uses the same systems as the Max 8s).

Canada had been one of the last holdouts on temporarily banning the Max 8s in the wake of the recent Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board, including 18 Canadians. The U.K., the European Union, Australia and other countries had moved already to ban the jet from their airspace in response to growing safety concerns.

Garneau said the decision to issue the safety notice was made after his department received new data suggesting a similarity between the Ethiopian Airlines crash and another deadly crash near Indonesia in October.

The minister said much of the new information is new and unproven, but added:

"There are — and I hasten to say not conclusive — but there are similarities that sort of exceed a certain threshold in our minds with respect to the possible cause of what happened in Ethiopia"

"My departmental officials continue to monitor the situation and I will not hesitate to take swift action should we discover any additional safety issues," he said.

U.S. follows suit

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an "emergency order" grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 a few hours after Canada's decision.

Garneau said Canada alerted the U.S. to the safety notice on Wednesday morning.

According to Reuters, the Federal Aviation Administration held urgent meetings on the issue after Canada announced it would become the latest major country to ground the jets.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, Garneau directly contacted his counterpart, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. The source said the Americans understood Garneau's decision and did not try to persuade Ottawa to change its mind.

"It was always a possibility, but the fact that they announced it just after us came as a bit of a surprise," said Garneau.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau discusses the decision to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft, after Canada had been one of the last holdouts. 9:09

Air Canada, which already had cancelled multiple scheduled flights to and from London in response to the U.K. closing its airspace yesterday, said it's working to rebook passengers.

"Air Canada's cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with full fee waiver for affected customers," said a spokesperson.

"We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible, but given the magnitude of our 737 MAX operations, which on average carry nine to twelve thousand customers per day, customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada call centres."

WestJet also said it will begin complying with Transport Canada's direction.

"We respect the decision made by Transport Canada and are in the process of grounding the 13 MAX aircraft in our fleet," said the company in an email.

"This decision has an impact on the travel plans of our WestJet guests and we ask for understanding as we work to rebook all guests affected as quickly as possible."

An Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is towed in on Wednesday behind another Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)

Toronto-based Sunwing Airlines announced late Tuesday it would voluntarily ground its four Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft for "evolving commercial reasons," such as airspace restrictions imposed by some destinations.

The union representing Air Canada's 8,500 flight attendants welcomed the decision.

"In light of the new data received by the federal government, we welcome the Minister's decision to err on the side of prudence until the analysis of the causes of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash is completed," said CUPE spokesperson Wesley Lesosky.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau illustrates the similarities between the Lion Air flight crash from October 2018 to this past weekend's Ethiopian Airlines plane crash out of Addis Ababa. 1:23

Earlier this week, Garneau said it would be "premature" to ground all 41 of the 737 Max 8s currently owned by Canadian air carriers.

However, shortly after the U.K. announced yesterday it is temporarily banning the jets from its airspace, Garneau tweeted that he was cancelling previous plans and meeting with his civil aviation expert panel to discuss the Max 8 aircraft.

Both the Conservatives and the NDP had been calling on the government to ground the planes as a precaution.

Brian Masse, the NDP innovation, science and economic development critic, criticized the speed of Garneau's decision Wednesday, saying "it should have been made sooner" given how other countries took action well before the midday Wednesday announcement.

Masse is asking Garneau to enact a "contingency plan" to ensure passengers who find their travel plans disrupted by the grounding of these aircraft are not "gouged" by airlines during the rebooking process.

"Canadian airlines have the privilege of providing air transport to millions of Canadians and this entails comprehensive responsibilities to ensure their passengers are safe and treated fairly in the market," he wrote in a letter. "Consumers should not be further victimized by predatory practices or pricing during this time."

Pilot reported problems: airline

Sunday's disaster follows another fatal crash of the 737 Max 8 jet in Indonesia five months ago, which killed 189 people and raised concerns about the fleet's automated flight systems.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre both agree that the government should ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 jets until they can be proven to be safe. 0:55

Asrat Begashaw, a spokesperson for Ethiopian Airlines, said that before the crash, the pilot reported flight-control problems and asked to return to Addis Ababa, where the flight to Nairobi originated.

The 'black box' flight recorders from the crash site will be sent to Europe for analysis, he said. </s> WASHINGTON — The U.S. is issuing an emergency order Wednesday grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft "effective immediately" in the wake of the crash of an Ethiopian Airliner that killed 157 people, President Donald Trump said.

Many nations had already barred the Boeing 737 Max 8 from its airspace, but until Trump's announcement, the Federal Aviation Administration had said that it didn't have any data to show the jets are unsafe. Trump cited "new information" that had come to light in the ongoing investigation into the incident. He did not elaborate.

"All of those planes are grounded, effective immediately," Trump said during a scheduled briefing on border security.

Trump said any airplane currently in the air will go to its destination and then be grounded. He added that all airlines and affected pilots had been notified.

Trump said the safety of the American people is of "paramount concern," and added that the FAA would soon put out a statement on the action.

The president said the decision to ground the aircraft "didn't have to be made, but we thought it was the right decision."

He insisted the announcement was coordinated with aviation officials in Canada, U.S. carriers and aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

"Boeing is an incredible company," Trump said. "They are working very, very hard right now, and, hopefully, they'll quickly come up with an answer."

— Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann and Kevin Freking contributed to this report. </s> Airline regulators across the globe are grounding Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, joining an ever expanding list of countries banning the plane from their airspace. This comes in the wake of Sunday's deadly plane crash in Ethiopia that killed all 157 people on board. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The latest move came Tuesday from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) when it announced a suspension of two Boeing 737 Max models in all flights in the European bloc.

The wave of bans follows the Civil Aviation Administration of China's decision on Monday to order the country's airlines to suspend all commercial operations of their Boeing 737 Max 8 jets.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration does not plan to ground the jets in the United States but is facing growing pressure to do so.

The FAA announced Monday that it would require a series of design changes for the Boeing 737 Max fleet.

In the U.S., Southwest Airlines uses a fleet of 34 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft and is not planning any change in service. Likewise, American Airlines, which operates 24 of the planes, is not planning to ground them.

The full list of countries and airlines that have announced a ban is below: </s> SINGAPORE — A growing number of airlines and countries around the world have grounded Boeing 737 MAX jets or banned them from their airspace following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed 157 people on Sunday, five months after a similar Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean, killing 189. A look at those countries and airlines:

Australia has announced a temporary ban on flights by 737 MAX aircraft, although none of its airlines currently operate them. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said Tuesday that the ban will affect two foreign airlines — SilkAir and Fiji Airways — that use them for flights to Australia. The authority said Singapore’s SilkAir has already grounded its 737 MAX jets, and that it is working with regulators there and in Fiji to minimize disruptions. It said that Fiji Airways has two 737 MAX 8 jets in its fleet. Fiji Airways and Fiji’s Civil Aviation Authority said they would ground the fleet until more information is known about the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines accident.

Brazil’s Gol Airlines has suspended the use of seven Max 8 jets. The airline said it is following the investigation closely and hopes to return the aircraft to use as soon as possible. Gol said it has made nearly 3,000 flights with the Max 8, which went into service last June, with “total security and efficiency.”

Canadian charter airline Sunwing has suspended use of its four 737 MAX 8 planes. Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he has no plans to ground Canada’s fleet of 737 MAX aircraft, but that “all options are on the table.”

Cayman Airways, a Caribbean carrier, has stopped using its two Max 8 jets. President and CEO Fabian Whorms said the move starting Monday will cause changes to flight schedules. Cayman is the flag carrier of Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory.

China has 96 Max 8 jets in service, belonging to carriers such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. The Civil Aviation Authority directed the planes to be grounded indefinitely on Monday. It said the order was “taken in line with the management principle of zero tolerance for security risks.” There were eight Chinese citizens on the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after taking off on Sunday. The authority said it will consult the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing before deciding when to lift the ban.

A spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines said it grounded its remaining four Max 8 jets as an “extra safety precaution” while it investigates Sunday’s deadly crash. The airline is awaiting the delivery of 25 more Max 8 jets.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued a directive grounding all 737 MAX 8 and Max 9 aircraft. EASA said in its emergency airworthiness directive Tuesday that “at this early stage” of the most recent investigation, “it cannot be excluded that similar causes may have contributed to both events.” It said “based on all available information, EASA considers that further actions may be necessary to ensure the continued airworthiness of the two affected models.” It said companies may make one noncommercial flight to return their planes to a location where they can be inspected. The grounding applies to all European Union airspace.

Fiji has suspended all Max 8 flights in and out of the country. The decision only affects one operator, Fiji Airways.

Hong Kong has banned the operation of all 737 MAX aircraft “into, out of and over” the key Asian aviation hub beginning Wednesday evening. The announcement from the Civil Aviation Department said the ban would continue “until further notice.” It said the department has been in close contact with the FAA and other the relevant organizations, including the two airlines, SpiceJet of India and Russia’s Globus Airlines, that use the aircraft to operate flights into and out of Hong Kong International Airport.

Icelandair Group has temporarily suspended operations of its three 737 MAX aircraft until further notice. President and CEO Bogi Nels Bogason said Tuesday that the company will follow developments closely and work with local, European and U.S. authorities on any steps that need to be taken. He said the temporary suspension won’t impact the company’s operations, as it only affects three aircraft out of a fleet of 33.

India has grounded all 737 MAX 8 planes. A statement late Tuesday said the planes “will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.” The statement did not say how many planes were affected.

Indonesia has temporarily grounded Max 8 jets to inspect their airworthiness. Director General of Air Transportation Polana B. Pramesti said the move was made to ensure flight safety. A Lion Air model of the same plane crashed in Indonesia in October. Indonesian airlines operate 11 Max 8 jets. Lion Air, which owns 10 of them, said it will try to minimize the impact of the decision on operations. The other Max 8 jet belongs to national carrier Garuda.

New Zealand has suspended Max 8 flights in and out of the country. The decision only affects one operator, Fiji Airways. No New Zealand airlines use the Max 8 planes.

The Civil Aviation Authority said no Malaysian carriers operate the Max 8, but that foreign airlines are banned from flying the plane in Malaysia, and from transiting in the country, until further notice.

Mexican airline Aeromexico has suspended flights of its six Max 8 jets. Aeromexico said it “fully” trusts the safety of its fleet but ordered the grounding to ensure “the safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers.” It said other planes will take over the routes usually flown by the Max 8.

Oman and the United Arab Emirates have barred flights by Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft. Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation made the sultanate’s announcement, without elaborating on its reasoning. State-owned Oman Air operates five Max 8 aircraft and said it was rescheduling other planes for its flights.

Singapore has temporarily banned Max 8 jets — and other models in the Max range — from entering and leaving the country. The Civil Aviation Authority said it was “closely monitoring the situation” and the ban will be “reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available.” SilkAir, a regional carrier owned by Singapore Airlines, has six Max 8 jets. It said the ban “will have an impact on some of the airline’s flight schedules.”

Comair, the operator of British Airways and Kulula flights in South Africa, has grounded its Max 8 while it consults with Boeing, other operators and technical experts. Its statement did not say how many planes were affected. It said the decision was made without intervention from regulatory authorities.

South Korean airline Eastar Jet has suspended operations of its two Max 8 planes and replaced them with Boeing 737-800 planes starting Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand. The airline said it hasn’t found any problems, but is voluntarily grounding the planes in response to customer concerns.

Turkish Airlines has suspended all Max flights. In a statement Tuesday on Twitter, CEO Bilal Eksi said the suspension would continue until the “uncertainty affecting safety is cleared.”

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has banned the aircraft from its airspace in what is said was “a precautionary measure.” The Max is the workhorse of the Dubai government-owned budget carrier FlyDubai. It operates 11 Max 8 and 2 Max 9 jets. Its total fleet is around 60 aircraft, including other models of the 737.

Vietnam has banned Max planes from flying into its airspace. The director of Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority said Wednesday that airlines flying those models of planes will have to change the aircraft for safety purposes. The ban lasts until further notice. None of Vietnam’s four airlines uses the Max model planes in their fleets, but Korea’s Eastar Jet, Thai Lion Air and Malaysia’s Malindor Air fly those planes to Vietnamese destinations. </s> After the second deadly crash involving the model in five months, several airlines have grounded the model

Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau says “all options are on the table” with regard to the country’s fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft but says the government currently has no plans to order the grounding of the plane.

Garneau’s comments came minutes after announcements from Britain, Germany, France and Ireland that they were grounding or closing airspace to the new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

He later tweeted that he has cancelled all his meetings and public events on Tuesday to meet with his Civil Aviation Expert Panel and will consider all potential actions.

Canada is working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority to determine if action is required.

READ MORE: Growing number of Boeing Max 8 planes grounded after crash

READ MORE: Canadians swamp airlines with safety concerns around Boeing 737 following crash

No U.S. airlines have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 models that they fly, but at least one group representing flight attendants at a major carrier says it does not want to put its members on the plane until further investigations are completed.

After the second deadly crash involving the model in five months, several airlines and countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East have grounded it or banned it from their airspace.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents more than 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, called on CEO Doug Parker to “strongly consider grounding these planes until an investigation can be performed.” The group said flight attendants will not be forced to fly if they feel unsafe.

Brian Parrish, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines which flies 34 Max 8s, said the carrier remains confident about the plane’s safety. American Airlines Group, which flies 24 of the planes, said it has full confidence in the model.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. </s> HEJERE, Ethiopia — The Latest on Ethiopian Airlines crash (all times local):

The United Arab Emirates, a key international travel hub, has barred the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 from its airspace following the crash of a similar jetliner in Ethiopia.

It cited the similarities between Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines flight and another by Indonesia’s Lion Air last year for its decision.

The budget carrier FlyDubai, owned by the Dubai government, uses the aircraft as a workhorse of its fleet.

FlyDubai said in a statement “is adjusting its schedule to minimise disruption to passengers.”

It flies 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and two MAX 9s.

New Zealand and Fiji have suspended Boeing 737 Max 8 flights in and out of the two countries following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner.

The decisions affect only one operator, Fiji Airways. No New Zealand airlines use the Max 8 planes.

Much of the world, including the entire European Union and Australia, has grounded the Boeing jetliner from their airspace, leaving the United States as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

Graeme Harris, a director at New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority, said the decision followed discussions with other aviation authorities.

Fiji Airways and Fiji’s Civil Aviation Authority said they would ground the fleet until more information is known about the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines accident..

The union for Air Canada flight attendants says the company is allowing flight attendants who don’t want to fly on Boeing 737 Max airplanes to be reassigned and the union says they want that option to continue.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees issued a statement Tuesday asking the company to put the safety of passengers and crew first.

Wesley Lesosky, the president of the union’s Air Canada component, says the union is calling on Air Canada “to at a minimum continue to offer reassignment to crew members who do not want to fly on this type of airplane.” Union spokesman Philippe Gagnon says that option is currently being offered.

Before clearing his schedule to meet with experts, Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he has no plans to ground Canada’s fleet of 737 Max aircraft, but that “all options are on the table.”

Boeing’s CEO has spoken with President Donald Trump and voiced his confidence that plane maker’s 737 Max is safe.

The call Tuesday came as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration continues to back the airworthiness of the 737 Max despite a growing number of countries grounding the aircraft in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash over the weekend.

The FAA says its review has so far not turned up any basis for grounding the jets.

Boeing said CEO Dennis Muilenburg spoke with Trump and expressed “his confidence in the safety of the 737 Max.” The White House confirmed the two talked but did not disclose the content of the conversation.

Icelandair Group says it has temporarily suspended operations of its three Boeing 737 Max aircraft until further notice.

President and CEO Bogi Nels Bogason said Tuesday that the company will follow developments closely and work with local, European and U.S. authorities on any steps that need to be taken.

Bogason said, however, that based available information, Icelandair’s safety processes and the training of its crew, the company is confident of the safety of the aircraft.

He said the temporary suspension won’t impact the company’s operations, as it only affects three aircraft out of a fleet of 33.

Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the U.S. should ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, just as his agency halted flights of another Boeing plane six years ago because of safety concerns.

LaHood was transportation secretary in 2013 when the department grounded the Boeing 787 because of overheating lithium-ion battery packs. The planes were idled for less than a month, until Boeing crafted new fire-resistant compartments around the batteries.

LaHood says current Secretary Elaine Chao should do the same thing, even if it means overruling the FAA, which has taken no action despite dozens of other countries banning the plane from their skies.

He says that Chao has the authority to suspend the 737 Max and require inspections by both FAA and Boeing personnel.

Kenya lost more citizens than anyone in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, and its transport minister is now trying to reassure a grieving country that no Kenyan airline has the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane in its fleet.

James Macharia in a statement late Tuesday also says “no foreign carrier is currently operating the aircraft type in Kenyan airspace.” The statement appears to stop short of joining many countries in closing airspace to the plane.

As families of the 32 Kenyans killed seek answers, the minister says Kenya’s government is working with Ethiopian Airlines to help relatives travel to Ethiopia’s capital.

A global team of investigators is looking into the cause of the crash that killed 157 people.

India says it is immediately grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash.

A statement late Tuesday says the planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.

The statement does not say how many planes are affected.

India says it continues to “consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety.”

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said there will be a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash Sunday of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 airplane in which 157 people died.

“The Ethiopian Airlines crash will be studied in detail. The conclusions that will come out of its probe will be beneficial to the rest of the world,” said Abiy at a press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Our technical team is conducting a detailed study,” said Abiy. “These types of accidents broke everyone’s heart. I hope we will learn from this crash.”

Italy is joining other European countries in closing its airspace to Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority says aircraft of that type cannot operate to and from airports in Italy starting at 9 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Tuesday, until further notice.

The authority says the measure is precautionary, given the lack of “reliable information” regarding the cause of the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines jet shortly after takeoff on Sunday.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has just issued a directive grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 model aircraft. It applies to all European Union airspace.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued a directive grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 model aircraft following two recent deadly crashes.

The grounding applies to all European Union airspace.

The crash in Ethiopia on Sunday came five months after an Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean.

EASA said in its emergency airworthiness directive Tuesday that “at this early stage” of the most recent investigation, “it cannot be excluded that similar causes may have contributed to both events.”

It adds that “based on all available information, EASA considers that further actions may be necessary to ensure the continued airworthiness of the two affected models.”

It says companies may make one noncommercial flight to return their planes to a location where they can be inspected.

Consumer Reports is calling on airlines and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 jets until they finish a thorough safety investigation.

The consumer website says in a statement that American, Southwest and other carriers should do what foreign governments and airlines have done and temporarily suspend flights.

Britain, Germany, France, China and other countries have stopped the planes from flying or barred them from their airspace after Sunday’s deadly crash in Ethiopia.

Consumer Reports says the Ethiopian crash and a Lion Air crash in October justify grounding the planes.

“Telling the public that the airplane is airworthy, as the FAA has done, without offering further explanation, does far too little to relieve the uncertainty and fear created by these two tragedies,” the statement says.

Poland’s state carrier LOT says it is grounding its five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Several airlines in Europe and around the world have grounded the planes after a fatal crash in Ethiopia on Sunday and one in Indonesia last year.

LOT received its first Boeing 737 Max 8 in December 2017. It plans to have 15 such planes by January 2020.

The Dutch government has followed several other European nations in closing its airspace to the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that was involved in two recent fatal crashes.

Infrastructure and Water Ministry spokesman Roel Vincken says the government decided to close its airspace on Tuesday following advice from the Dutch aviation authority.

France, Britain and Germany also have announced airspace closures after the crash on Sunday of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia and another crash in October by the same model of plane in Indonesia.

Turkish Airlines says two Britain-bound Boeing 737 Max flights are returning to Istanbul after British airspace was closed to the aircraft.

A company official told The Associated Press on Tuesday the planes — one heading for London and the other for Birmingham — were about to land in Istanbul after being diverted back. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The company earlier announced that it was grounding all 12 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet until further notice.

Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau says “all options are on the table” with regard to the country’s fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft but says the government currently has no plans to order the grounding of the plane.

Garneau’s comments came minutes after announcements from Britain, Germany, France and Ireland that they were grounding or closing airspace to the new Boeing plane involved in the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

He later tweeted that he has canceled all his meetings and public events on Tuesday to meet with his Civil Aviation Expert Panel and will consider all potential actions.

Canada is working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority to determine if action is required.

No U.S. airlines have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 models that they fly, but at least one group representing flight attendants at a major carrier says it does not want to put its members on the plane until further investigations are completed.

After the second deadly crash involving the model in five months, several airlines and countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East have grounded it or banned it from their airspace.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents more than 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, called on CEO Doug Parker to “strongly consider grounding these planes until an investigation can be performed.” The group said flight attendants will not be forced to fly if they feel unsafe.

Brian Parrish, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines which flies 34 Max 8s, said the carrier remains confident about the plane’s safety. American Airlines Group, which flies 24 of the planes, said it has full confidence in the model.

Turkish Airlines says it is grounding all Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet until further notice.

In a statement issued on Twitter on Tuesday, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi said all Boeing 737 Max flights are suspended until the “uncertainty affecting safety is cleared.” He added that passenger safety was the company’s priority.

Turkish Airlines is the latest company around the world to ground the planes following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

The French Civil Aviation Authority has joined several other nations and closed French airspace to all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

In a statement Tuesday, the authority says that “France is carefully following the progress of the inquiry” relating to the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in Addis Ababa on Sunday that left 157 people dead.

It says French airline companies do not possess any of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

But as a precautionary measure, French authorities have decided to “forbid all commercial flights on a Boeing 737 Max departing from, traveling to, or flying across, France.”

Irish aviation authorities have suspended all variants of Boeing 737 Max aircraft into and out of Ireland’s airspace as European aviation regulators respond to recent crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Irish authorities say they made the decision “based on ensuring the continued safety of passengers and flight crew.”

The decision comes shortly after UK civilian aviation authorities took a similar step, motivated by the lack of information coming from the flight data recorder involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

Experts are chasing details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board. But answers could take months and regulators are taking steps in the interim.

Germany’s transport ministry says the country is closing its airspace to Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, following a similar decision by Britain.

The ministry confirmed to news agency dpa on Tuesday comments made by Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer to n-tv television.

The broadcaster quoted Scheuer on its website as saying safety is the priority, and “until all doubts are cleared up, I have ordered that German airspace be closed for the Boeing 737 Max with immediate effect.”

Germany joins a rapidly growing number of nations and carriers either grounding the planes or barring them from their airspace.

President Donald Trump is bemoaning the complexity of modern airplanes in the wake of two deadly crashes in the past five months.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that the additional “complexity creates danger” and hinders pilots from making “split second decisions” to ensure their passengers’ safety.

He added that “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot.”

The president did not specifically mention the crashes but his remarks come after several nations, but not the United States, have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

The aircraft crashed in Indonesia last year and in Ethiopia on Sunday.

Trump participated in a signing ceremony last month in Hanoi between U.S.-based Boeing and the Vietnamese government.

Norwegian Air Shuttle says it has grounded its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft on recommendation from European aviation authorities after Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The Norwegian carrier has 18 of the planes.

Tomas Hesthammer, the low-cost carrier’s acting chief operating officer, says that “the safety and security of our customers and colleagues will never be compromised, and once authorities advise to cease operations we will of course comply.”

A growing number of airlines and countries around the world have grounded the planes.

British regulators have grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority says in a statement Tuesday that though it had been monitoring the situation, it had as a precautionary measure “issued instructions to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace.”

Some five 737 Max aircraft are registered and operational in the United Kingdom, while a sixth had planned to commence operations later this week.

Several countries have now grounded the planes.

Experts are chasing details on why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 on board. Answers could take months.

Malaysian authorities say all flights by Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft into and out of the country have been suspended following two fatal crashes involving the jet in less than five months.

The Civil Aviation Authority said in a short statement Tuesday that no Malaysian carriers operate the Max 8, but that foreign airlines are banned from flying the plane in Malaysia, and from transiting in the country, until further notice.

A number of airlines and countries around the world have grounded the planes after a fatal crash in Ethiopia on Sunday and one in Indonesia last year.

Civil aviation authorities in the United Arab Emirates say they have joined U.S. authorities and Boeing “to investigate and collect data” regarding the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner.

The General Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement Tuesday via the Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency.

It comes as neighboring Oman says it will “temporarily suspend” all Boeing 737 Max aircraft at its airports.

The UAE’s aviation authority says it also contacted Ethiopian Airlines and Chinese authorities.

The statement adds that “the GCAA will not be reluctant to ground the UAE-registered Boeing 737 Max fleet, if required, to ensure the highest standard of aviation safety is achieved.”

The Dubai government-owned carrier FlyDubai uses the 737 Max on its flights.

Oman says it is “temporarily suspending” flights by Boeing 737 Max aircraft at its airports after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner of the same type.

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation made the announcement Tuesday.

State-owned Oman Air operates five Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Oman is a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 on Sunday killed 157 people. A similar Lion Air plane crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

Airlines around the world have begun grounding the aircraft as an investigation into Sunday’s crash continues.

A pilot who saw the Ethiopian Airlines crash site minutes after the disaster says the plane appeared to have “slid directly into the ground.”

Capt. Solomon Gizaw was among the first people dispatched to find the crash site, which was discovered by Ethiopia’s air force.

He tells The Associated Press that from above “there was nothing to see. It looked like the earth had swallowed the aircraft. ... We were surprised!”

He says it explains why rescue officials quickly sent bulldozers to begin digging out large pieces of the plane. He is the managing director of a private flight service.

Sunday’s crash shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa killed all 157 on board.

Ethiopian Airlines says it should take five days to identify the remains of the 157 people killed in Sunday’s crash outside Addis Ababa.

Spokesman Asrat Begashaw tells The Associated Press that “it will take five days to clear everything” and the airline would release more details later Tuesday.

A global team of investigators led by Ethiopian authorities is assembling.

The cause of the crash of the new plane on a clear day remains unknown.

Australia has suspended all flights into or out of the country by Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the type that was involved in Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority says no Australian airlines operate the aircraft type, but two foreign airlines — SilkAir and Fiji Airways — fly them to Australia.

It says Singapore-based SilkAir has already suspended operation of its 737 Max aircraft.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. Five months earlier, a similar Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged into the ocean, killing 189.

The Australian civil aviation authority’s director of aviation safety, Shane Carmody, says that because of the two accidents, the temporary suspension of Boeing 737 Max operations is in the best interest of safety.

A South Korean airline says it will suspend operations of its two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the same aircraft involved in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people.

An Eastar Jet official said Tuesday that the planes will be replaced by Boeing 737-800 planes from Wednesday on routes to Japan and Thailand. She didn’t want to be named, citing office rules.

She says the airline hasn’t found any problems, but is voluntarily grounding Boeing 737 Max 8s in a response to customer concerns. She says the planes will not be used until the completion of a government safety review on the aircraft.

An official from South Korea’s Transportation Ministry says it has yet to find any problems from safety reviews on Eastar’s planes that started Monday.

The Mideast budget airline FlyDubai says it will continue to fly Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after reviewing a recent U.S. regulator statement about the aircraft.

FlyDubai says that “no further action is required at this time” over the aircraft, a workhorse in the Dubai government-owned carrier’s fleet.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that while others have drawn similarities between the Indonesia and Ethiopia crashes, the agency was not.

The FlyDubai statement says it remains “confident in the airworthiness of our fleet.” It operates 11 Boeing 737 Max-8 jetliners.

A team of U.S. aviation experts has arrived in Ethiopia to join an investigation into Sunday’s crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner that killed 157 people.

As questions grow about the new Boeing plane involved in the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said late Monday it is at the crash site outside the capital, Addis Ababa, with representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board.

They join an Ethiopian-led investigation that includes authorities from neighboring Kenya and elsewhere.

The plane crashed six minutes into a flight to Nairobi and a growing number of countries and airlines have grounded the new Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliner as a result.

One witness has told The Associated Press that smoke was coming from the plane’s rear before it crashed.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> President Donald Trump said he was issuing an executive order to halt flights of the Boeing 737 MAX, in a reversal of the stance of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which has insisted that it is still safe to fly following two deadly crashes of models of the plane in the past five months.

"We're gonna be issuing an emergency order of prohibition to ground all flights of the 737 MAX 8 and the 737 MAX 9 and planes associated with that line," Trump told reporters in Washington on Wednesday, according to press reports.

A wave of countries have closed their airspace to Boeing's bestselling jet over the past three days following the crash Sunday of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa that killed all 157 on board.

The groundings by the regulators have represented a dramatic break in ranks with their counterparts at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which has issued several statements of confidence in the 737 MAX 8 and the larger MAX 9. “This investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions,” the FAA said in an airworthiness notification to airlines Monday. Customarily countries defer to the judgment of aviation regulators in the nation that certified an aircraft that's the subject of safety concerns, in this case the FAA.

The pilots unions for the largest airline in the world, American, as well as United Airlines and Southwest have stated their confidence in the safety of the plane as well.

"When the rest of the world takes the position that the aircraft are safety-problematic, particularly based on emotion and without much hard data, maybe it’s time for the U.S. to stop the speculation and get to a final determination," says Mike Boyd, a Denver-based airline consultant.

Boeing said in a statement that it continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX but that it had decided to recommend the FAA temporarily suspend operations of the plane "out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft’s safety." </s> Reaction to the Ethiopian Airlines disaster last weekend keep crashing down on Boeing and the airlines operating its 737 MAX aircraft. Norwegian Air Shuttle is one of the latest of the 40 airlines that operate the popular long-range twin-jet to announce a suspension of service.

Norwegian announced this morning that it will temporarily suspend Boeing 737 MAX flights, following recommendations by European aviation authorities. The airline said it “will not operate any flights with this aircraft type until further notice." Norwegian apologized to customers who might be affected. The company added that it's staying in touch with aviation authorities and with Boeing, and plans to follow their instructions and recommendations. While Norwegian has 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8 in its fleet today, the airline also has 110 Boeing 737–800 aircraft, which will not be affected by the suspension.

“In response to the temporary suspension of Being 737 MAX operations by multiple aviation authorities we have taken the decision to not operate flights using this aircraft type until advised otherwise by the relevant aviation authorities,” Tomas Hesthammer, Norwegian’s acting Chief Operating Officer, said. “We would like to apologize to customers for any inconvenienced caused, however, safety will always remain our top priority.”

Norwegian barely got in front of British authorities, who put a ban on the aircraft type this morning, and the European Union, which grounded flights this afternoon. The US FAA has yet to act, while Boeing has stated it will be issuing a software patch to address presumed issues with the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) control system, such as possible false stall warnings

A number of MAX flights were actually turned away from the UK with the new ban. On a Turkish Airlines flight, passengers were first told the plane was returning because British airspace was closed, then supposedly because of the weather. Only when the plane landed back in Turkey did passengers learn they were flying on a 737 MAX like the one that crashed in Ethiopia.

Norwegian received its first two 737 MAX aircraft in June of 2017. In fact, Norwegian was the first European carrier to get the plane, getting the 5th and 6th 737 MAX aircraft built by Boeing. While Norwegian’s eighteen 737 MAX aircraft represent only about 15% of the airline's 737 fleet, the aircraft, which boast a 3500 nautical mile range, play an outsized role in Norwegian’s international service.

When the first planes were delivered, Norwegian announced that they would fly twelve routes between the northeastern U.S. and Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Norway. Norwegian boasted that it's 737 MAX 8 aircraft offered 189 seats, with a 14% reduction in fuel use and CO2 emissions, 40% less noise and 8% lower operating costs. The narrow-body jets were seen as easy to fill with passengers as well as well as less expensive to operate, ideal for Norwegian’s low-cost long-haul model.

Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said, "When we get the MAX, when we can fly it full… it's going to be very interesting because you can fly it on very low fares. The MAX is a very cost-effective airplane."

Aviation publications ran headlines like “Norwegian plans MAXimum disruption to legacy carriers with transatlantic network growth”

Of course, no one counted on this sort of “MAXimum disruption.” To cope, Norwegian says it is “re-allocating fleet options to minimize the impact of the suspension of 737 MAX aircraft.” The airline says it will not operate any flights with the 737 MAX “until further notice,” presumably when civil aviation authorities in the US give the all-clear signal. Planes in the air were to either fly on to their destination or return to home base.

As for the rest of the flight schedule, “We are now working on re-allocating our fleet options with other aircraft types, re-bookings to other flights and combining flights to minimize the inconvenience caused to our passengers. Affected passengers will be informed via SMS and our web pages.”

Norwegian and its competitors are no doubt “dialing for dollars”, looking for possible lease aircraft to fill the yet-unknown period between the groundings and when the MAX is deemed safe to fly. Whether Boeing will pay compensation, and how much, is no doubt an issue as well. Hopefully, the airline will have either its MAXes back or leased aircraft to operate during the upcoming spring and summer travel season.

But for Norwegian, some of the problems are immediate. For example, Norwegian just announced a St. Patrick’s Day sale from Stewart (SWF), Providence (PVD) and Toronto, to Ireland’s Dublin, Shannon, and Cork, starting at $99 one-way. A spokesperson said, “We will suspend the St. Patrick’s sale promotion as a result of this new development. At the moment, we are offering free rebooking and refund for customers that are affected.”

For Norwegian, the latest headache from Boeing comes on top of another costly and disruptive problem with the Rolls-Royce Trent engines on its longer-range 787 Dreamliners. The issue, with possible failure of compressor blades, has resulted in a number of aircraft on ground (AOG) and out of service. Last summer, this forced Norwegian to lease an Airbus A380 to transport paid passengers during the summer rush. Rolls Royce says it expects the number of grounded Dreamliners to shrink in 2019, as aircraft are fitted with the FAA-approved new blades.

Nonetheless, Norwegian, which has its own financial issues, doesn’t need MAX problems on top of Dreamliner issues. But unlike many now-deceased, European low-cost airline startups, Norwegian has shown an ability to adapt to adversity and keep on flying. </s> Most of the airlines flying Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 – the model that has crashed twice in the past six months, including Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines disaster – are continuing to use the jet, including major U.S. airlines.

China and Indonesia, as well as a few airlines in other countries, have grounded their MAX 8 fleets, however. India’s air safety regulator said Monday it is ordering a review of the MAX.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Monday afternoon it plans to issue a “continued airworthiness notification” for the MAX jet. It is collecting data on the crash and has a team on the ground in Ethiopia along with the National Transportation Safety Board, the agency said. “If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action,” it said on Twitter.

The Renton-built 737 MAX is Boeing’s best-selling plane, and the company has been delivering the newer MAX 8 model since May 2017.

In October, a MAX 8 operated by Lion Air crashed in the Java Sea, killing 189 people on board. Then on Sunday, a MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board. Both were new planes that crashed shortly after takeoff, though it’s not yet clear if there might be any link between the two crashes.

Airlines have ordered more than 5,000 of the jets, but just 350 of those have been delivered, according to data compiled by The Associated Press.

Southwest Airlines has 31 of the planes delivered, American Airlines and GECAS have 22 and Air Canada has 20. Norwegian Air Shuttle has 18; China Southern Airlines has 16; Air China, Air Lease Corp, Flydubai and Lion Air all have 14 each; China Eastern Airlines has 13; and United Airlines and WestJet have 12 each.

SeaTac-based Alaska Airlines doesn’t have any operating now but has ordered 32 of the jets.

Regulators in China and Indonesia have grounded their nations’ MAX 8 aircraft in the wake of Sunday’s crash.

The other airlines that have at least temporarily halted MAX 8 flights include Ethiopian Airlines, Cayman Airways and Comair. In all, 23 airlines have grounded the aircraft model, mostly in China.

The two American airlines with the most MAX 8s – Southwest and American airlines – issued statements to CNN saying they would continue to fly the MAX 8.

“We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our fleet of more than 750 Boeing aircraft,” the Southwest statement said. American said it has “full confidence in the aircraft.”

Other airlines continuing to stand behind the MAX 8 include Norwegian Airlines, TUI Aviation, Silk Air, Fiji Airways, Icelandair, Flydubai, WestJet, GOL Linhas Aereas.

Here’s a full list of which airlines have MAX jets in their fleet and which have them on order.
Canada and the United States ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft and ban the jet from their airspace until further notice. It is now effectively grounded worldwide, with no operators remaining unaffected by grounding orders.