Indonesia Temporary Grounds Boeing 737 Max 8 Jets
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11 March 2019 20:07 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Transportation Ministry’s directorate general of air transport will temporarily bar Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from flying following the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-320 on Sunday, March 10.
“One of the measures that the directorate general of air transport will take is inspection by temporary grounding, and the Transportation Minister has approved this,” said Polana B. Pramesti, the ministry's directorate general of air transport, today.
According to Polana, the government wants to confirm the airworthiness of the MAX 8 fleets on Tuesday. However, the fleets can be banned from operating if the ministry spots problems during the inspection.
Read: "No Fault Found" for Garuda Indonesia's Boeing 737 Max 8 Fleet
There are currently two major Indonesian carriers operating the Boeing 737 MAX 8: flag carrier Garuda Indonesia with one unit and Lion Air with 10 planes.
Prior to the tragic Ethiopian Airline crash, Indonesia’s Lion Air flight JT 610 crashed into the Karawang waters in West Java, killing all 188 passengers and its crew members. Polana said that Boeing representatives already provided a statement regarding the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA