Ethiopia Sends Boeing Black Boxes Abroad

Two-thirds of the 737 MAX aircraft have been grounded globally, and Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told the BBC the world's biggest planemaker should ground all such craft until their safety is established.

Sunday's still unexplained crash of the passenger jet, just after take-off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, killed 157 people and followed another disaster involving a 737 MAX in Indonesia five months ago that killed 189 people.

The investigation may focus on an automated anti-stall system that dips the nose down.

Read: KNKT Compares Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air Crash

The twin crashes have spooked the airline industry and heaped pressure on Boeing, whose shares have plunged.

Multiple nations, including the European Union, have suspended the 737 MAX, leading to the grounding of about two-thirds of the 371 jets of that make in operation around the world, according to Reuters calculations.

Boeing has nearly 5,000 more on order.

However, with no evidence of links between the Ethiopia and Indonesia crashes, the United States has bucked the backlash and allowed 737 MAX planes to continue operating.

Even as many passengers sought reassurances they would not be flying on a 737 MAX, the world's biggest planemaker said it retains "full confidence" in the model.

Boeing shares fell 6.1 percent on Tuesday, bringing losses to 11.15 percent since the crash, the steepest two-day loss for the stock since July 2009. The drop has cut $26.65 billion off Boeing's market value.

REUTERS