The US government says it has no reason to ground the Boeing 737 MAX that has crashed twice since October
- The acting head of the FAA has announced that the US government will not be ground the Boeing 737 Max airliner.
- "Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order ground the aircraft," Acting FAA administrator Daniel K. Elwell said in a statement on Tuesday.
- Safety regulators in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia have all grounded the Boeing jet following the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302.
The acting head of the US Federal Aviation Administrator has announced that the agency will not ground the Boeing 737 Max airliner.
"Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft," Acting FAA administrator Daniel K. Elwell said in a statement on Tuesday.
However, Elwell added that the FAA will take "immediate and appropriate action" if any issues affecting the continued airworthiness of the 737 Max are identified.
The FAA's decision to keep the 737 Max in operation stands in contrast to the safety regulators in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia that have all grounded the plane.
On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 crash shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. The crashed killed all 157 passengers and crew on board the four-month-old plane.
It's the second nearly brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 airliner in recent months to be involved in a fatal crash. In October, Lion Air Flight JT610 crashed in the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.
Here's Acting FAA administrator Daniel K. Elwell's statement in its entirety:
"The FAA continues to review extensively all available data and aggregate safety performance from operators and pilots of the Boeing 737 MAX. Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft. Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action. In the course of our urgent review of data on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, if any issues affecting the continued airworthiness of the aircraft are identified, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action."
More about the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and the Ethiopian Airlines disaster:
- Everything we know about Ethiopian Airlines' deadly crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8, the second disaster involving the plane in 5 months Seven airlines and 5 countries have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 after a 2nd crash involving the plane killed 157 people - here's who's taken action so far
- Europe has banned the Boeing 737 MAX - a plane that has crashed twice since October
- Boeing has $400 billion in orders on the books, 80% of them are for the 737
- 'I don't want Albert Einstein to be my pilot': Trump says airplanes are becoming 'too complex to fly' as the UK, China, and other nations ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 -
- A major flight-attendants union is calling on US regulators to investigate the plane involved in 2 crashes in 5 months
- These are the victims of the Boeing 737 Max 8 crash in Ethiopia
- Germany, the UK, China, and other countries have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 after its 2 deadly crashes - here's who's taken action so far
- FAA says Boeing 737 Max 8, the plane that's crashed twice in 5 months, is still safe to fly
- Southwest has the largest exposure of all US airlines to Boeing's 737 Max
- Elected officials are calling on the US government to ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 after the plane was involved in 2 deadly crashes
- The black box from the crashed Ethiopian Airlines flight has been found
- 'If it's Boeing, I'm not going': People are freaking out about flying on the same plane that has now crashed twice in 5 months
- The family of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 captain speaks out after crash that killed 157 people
- A Georgetown University law student who reportedly expressed a fear of flying is among the 157 dead in the Ethiopian Airlines crash
- An Ethiopian Airlines passenger said he missed the crashed flight by 2 minutes: 'I'm grateful to be alive'
- People of 35 different nationalities were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, including 8 Americans