China has no timetable to resume Boeing 737-8 operations: MOFA

[TaiShang]

China has no timetable to resume Boeing 737-8 operations: MOFA

Updated 22:55, 12-Mar-2019
CGTN's Yao Nian

‍‍There is no timetable to resume commercial operations of Boeing 737-8 aircraft in China following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesperson Lu Kang said Tuesday at a regular press conference.

The fatal Ethiopian Airlines flight crash killed 157 people on board, including eight Chinese. It is the second deadly crash of Boeing's latest model in less than five months. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) suspended operations of this aircraft on Monday.

"The CAAC's announcement has clearly indicated that they will contact the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Boeing Company to confirm effective measures for flight safety, and then notify Chinese airlines to resume Boeing 737-8 aircraft's commercial operations," Lu said.

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 sits outside the hangar during a media tour of the Boeing 737 MAX at the Boeing plant in Renton, Washington, December 8, 2015. /VCG Photo

The civilian aviation authority gave the order "in line with the management principle of zero tolerance for security risks." China has 96 737-8 jets in service, and carriers such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines will be affected by the suspension.

It is responsible for all passengers to ensure that there are no safety risks before resuming the Boeing aircraft operations, Lu said.

The countries, airlines grounding Boeing 737 MAX

There are about 350 of the 737 MAX 8 (also known as 737-8) planes currently in service across the world. A growing number of countries and airlines grounded the planes, while others continued the operation, pending an investigation into the crash.

Besides China, airlines from 15 other countries and regions have grounded the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes so far. Here is a list of the countries and airlines grounding the aircraft.

Australia announced Tuesday a temporary ban on Boeing 737 MAX flights, and the ban will affect two foreign airlines – SilkAir and Fiji Airways. Fiji Airways has two 737 MAX 8 jets in its fleet and hoped to continue flying them to Pacific destinations.

Singapore's aviation regulator said Tuesday that it is temporarily suspending the operation of the Boeing 737 MAX variants into and out of the country. The suspension will take effect from 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The country's SilkAir Airlines with six MAX 8 jets will be affected by the suspension.

Indonesia said it will temporarily ground MAX 8 jets to inspect their airworthiness so as to ensure flight safety. Indonesian carriers Lion Air with 10 MAX 8 jets and Garuda with one jet will be affected by the ban.

Malaysian authorities also suspended its 737 Max 8 flights.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority announced "a precautionary measure" to "stop any commercial passenger flights (of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft) from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace."

Norwegian Air is to ground its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet as well after the recommendation from the European aviation authorities.

India's aviation authority ordered a safety assessment of the MAX 8 aircraft. Jet Airways in the country grounded its five MAX 8 jets starting Monday while "in contact with the manufacturer." It is unclear if 13 MAX 8 jets of the country's airline SpiceJet are grounded.

A Boeing employee navigates a lift among 737 airliners on the flight line at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, January 29, 2016. /VCG Photo

The Mongolian civil aviation watchdog said on Facebook that it ordered the state carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines to suspend flights of the sole MAX 8.

Brazil's Gol Airlines suspended its use of 121 Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets. The airline has made nearly 3,000 flights with the jets with "total security and efficiency" and hopes to return them to use as soon as possible.

The Caribbean carrier Cayman Airways stopped using its two 737 MAX 8 jets from Monday. Cayman received its first MAX 8 in November and the second earlier this month. Its CEO Fabian Whorms said the airline is committed to "putting the safety of our passengers and crew first."

Ethiopian Airlines will ground its remaining four MAX 8 jets as an "extra safety precaution" while it continues to investigate the Sunday accident. It is awaiting the delivery of 25 extra MAX 8 jets.

Mexican airline Aeromexico suspended flights of its six MAX 8 jets to ensure "the safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers" The airline said other planes will take over the flights of the MAX 8.

South Korean airline Eastar Jet announced the suspension of its two MAX 8 planes' operations. The carrier said the MAX 8 will be replaced by Boeing 737-800 on routes to Japan and Thailand starting Wednesday.

Argentina's Aerolineas Argentinas announced late Monday the order to suspend its five MAX 8 jets pending the result of investigations into the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

South African airline Comair also said it "decided to remove its 737 MAX from its flight schedule."

Response from the U.S. and Boeing

Travelers walk with luggage and day after the crash of Ethiopian Airways Flight 302 at JFK Airport in New York City, March 11, 2019. /VCG Photo‍

However, the U.S. told airlines it was safe to fly Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets late on Monday. The U.S. FAA issued a "continued airworthiness notification" to assure safety to operators of the jets. Boeing also said it is planning to make a safety upgrade to software in the coming weeks.

U.S. carrier Southwest Airlines said, "We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our fleet of more than 750 Boeing aircraft." American Airlines also planned to continue operating its 24 MAX 8 planes.

Boeing's 737 MAX 8 aircraft suffered the first crash of the Indonesian Lion Air on October 29, 2018, killing 189 passengers and crew. The CAAC said there are similarities between the two deadly crashes of the Boeing's same model.

***

US regime is trying hard to save a private company by endangering people's life. This is inverted socialism. Socialism for private interests and big money.

@Dungeness , @oprih , @Kai Liu , @powastick , @rambro

 

[ZeEa5KPul]

The 737 will fly in China once Boeing releases all of the aircraft's technical details, schematics, software, etc. to Chinese aviation authorities and answers all subsequent questions to CAAC's complete satisfaction. If Boeing proves recalcitrant, perhaps other models would need to be grounded as well.

 

[Beidou2020]

China should get everything from Boeing before they resume flights. All the technologies. China’s market is big for Boeing to ignore. Squeeze them like how US is squeezing Huawei. Time to play hardball.

 

[Dungeness]

China should get everything from Boeing before they resume flights. All the technologies. China’s market is big for Boeing to ignore. Squeeze them like how US is squeezing Huawei. Time to play hardball.

Who will take the loss of revenue for those grounded Max?

China should ask for the source code and check very carefully, especially those written by IT superpower.

 

[phancong]

Who will take the loss of revenue for those grounded Max?

China should ask for the source code and check very carefully, especially those written by IT superpower.

Boeing will reimburse the lost revenue to china airline because Boeing still need to deliver another 300 or more Boeing 737 max to complete the order from China.

 

[oprih]

Good, now China must make boeing pay for all the revenue loss incurred from grounding those crappy boeing planes.

 

[TaiShang]

U.S. pilots have reported problems with Boeing Max 8 planes

CGTN

Airline pilots on at least two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in the U.S. have filed reports last year about the tilting problems similar to the suspected cause of the deadly Ethiopian plane crash on Sunday.

The black boxes on the crashed plane have been recovered on Monday, according to Ethiopian Airlines, while the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

According to the reports, soon after engaging the autopilot on Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, the nose tilted down sharply. In both cases, they recovered quickly after disconnecting the autopilot.

As described by the pilots, however, the problem did not appear related to a new automated anti-stall system that is suspected of contributing to a deadly October crash in Indonesia.

The Max 8 is at the center of a growing global ban by more than 40 countries following the second fatal crash in less than five months. In the U.S., however, the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines continued to permit the planes to fly.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines operate the 737 Max 8, and United Airlines flies a slightly larger version, the Max 9.

Debris at the site of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash. /Reuters Photo

The pilot reports were filed last year in a database compiled by NASA. They are voluntary safety reports and do not publicly reveal the names of pilots, the airlines or the location of the incidents.

It was unclear whether the accounts led to any actions by the FAA or the pilots' airlines.

In one report, an airline captain said that immediately after putting the plane on autopilot, the co-pilot called out "Descending," followed by an audio cockpit warning, "Don't sink, don't sink!"

The captain immediately disconnected the autopilot and resumed climbing.

"With the concerns with the MAX 8 nose down stuff, we both thought it appropriate to bring it to your attention," the captain wrote.

On another flight, the co-pilot said that seconds after engaging the autopilot, the nose pitched downward and the plane began descending at 1,200 to 1,500 feet (365 to 460 meters) per minute.

As in the other flight, the plane's low-altitude-warning system issued an audio warning. The captain disconnected autopilot, and the plane began to climb.

The pilots talked it over later, "but can't think of any reason the aircraft would pitch nose down so aggressively," the co-pilot recounted.

Wreckage at the site of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash. /Reuters Photo

Preliminary information released by Indonesian investigators suggests they are looking at the possible role of the Max's new automated anti-stall technology as a factor in a Lion Air crash in October shortly after takeoff from Jakarta. Data indicates that the pilots struggled with repeated nose-down commands from the plane before it crashed into the Java Sea and killed 189 people.

However, that anti-stall system – called MCAS for its acronym – only activates if the autopilot is turned off, according to documents Boeing has shared with airlines and the FAA.

"That's not to say it's not a problem," American Airlines pilot Dennis Tajer said of the incidents reported to NASA, "but it is not the MCAS. The autopilot has to be off for MCAS to kick in."

A third pilot complained that Boeing had not explained changes to the plane's automation to pilots.

"I am left to wonder: what else don't I know?" the pilot wrote. "The Flight Manual is inadequate and almost criminally insufficient."

The FAA declined to comment on the incidents that pilots reported, but said it was not aware of any verified reports of MCAS-related issues in the U.S.

American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said the airline has received no reports from pilots about problems with the anti-stall technology. Southwest has said the same thing.

Leaders of the union representing United Airlines pilots, some of whom have flown the airline's 14 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets since last May, said the airline has tracked 23,000 hours of flights and found no performance or mechanical problems.

The group, part of the Air Line Pilots Association, added, "It is imperative that pilots refrain from interacting with the media and adding to the sensationalism surrounding these incidents."

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