Boeing Orders Its Entire 737 Max 8 Fleet To Be Grounded

Shortly after the US became nearly the last country in the world to ground its Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, Boeing itself issued a statement saying it would tell the FAA to ground its entire fleet. Dennis Muilenburg, president of Boeing, said in the statement, “We are supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution. Safety is a core value at Boeing for as long as we have been building airplanes; and it always will be. We are doing everything we can to understand the cause of the accidents in partnership with the investigators, deploy safety enhancements and help ensure this does not happen again.”

The statement did not cite any new findings or safety data to reinforce Boeing’s recommendation.

Boeing finally relented after the US became one of the world’s last countries to temporarily ground its 737 Max 8s in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash. The US joined a host of countries including the whole of the EU and the UK, which banned Boeing 737 Max 8s until a thorough safety investigation could take place. The US finally caved to pressure from lawmakers, and from both the Republican and the Democratic parties, who called for these planes to cease operations.

Ted Cruz, chairman of a subcommittee on aviation and space, said, “I believe it would be prudent for the United States likewise to temporarily ground 737 Max aircraft until the FAA confirms the safety of these aircraft & these passengers.” Democrat Elizabeth Warren, who couldn’t be farther from Cruz on the political spectrum, said that the US should follow the example of other countries and “get these planes out of the sky.”

In light of the decisions of regulatory agencies across the world to ground the Model 737 Max, I believe it would be prudent for the United States likewise to temporarily ground 737 Max aircraft until the FAA confirms the safety of these aircraft & their passengers.

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) March 12, 2019

Although the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) previously did not believe there was enough evidence to ground the planes, it’s singing quite a different tune following Boeing’s recommendation, as apparent by the tweet below.

#FAA statement on the temporary grounding of @Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in a U.S. territory. pic.twitter.com/tCxSakbnbH

— The FAA (@FAANews) March 13, 2019

H/T: CNN