HK joins worldwide ban on B737 Max
The Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong announced a decision to temporarily suspend the operation of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft into, out of and over the city with effect from 6 pm on Wednesday, according to a government press release.
“The temporary prohibition will take effect at 6 pm Hong Kong time on March 13 and continue until further notice,” a CAD spokesman said.
The spokesman said it has been in close contact with the US Federal Aviation Administration over the past few days.
“The prohibition is solely a precautionary measure to ensure aviation safety and protect the public.”
The announcement came as authorities and carriers worldwide decided to ground their Boeing 737 Max planes over concerns about their reliability following Sunday’s crash of an Ethiopia Airlines flight that killed all 157 people on board.
It was the second deadly crash involving the same model of Boeing plane in five months. All 189 aboard an Indonesian Lion Air jet perished after it plunged into the ocean in October.
According to the CAD, SpiceJet of India and Globus Airlines of Russia have used B737 Max aircraft to operate flights into and out of Hong Kong International Airport recently. The department has contacted the two airline companies regarding the temporary prohibition, noted the press release.
The two companies said they will cooperate and maintain their services with other aircraft types to reduce inconvenience to passengers.
The spokesman said the CAD will review the arrangement, but safety issues will come first.
Since the latest crash, at least 44 countries and regions have halted take-offs and landings of B737 Max planes in their territories by Wednesday. Major markets include the Chinese mainland, the European Union, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brazil.
The United States, which uses a substantial number of these models, is still flying them as it says there is “no basis” so far for them to be grounded.
Global experts are concerned about a failure of a sensor installed in the cockpit of the Boeing 737 Max, which may have pushed the nose of the aircraft downward. The sensor is designed to keep the plane flying at a proper angle to prevent a potential stall situation.
The Ethiopian Airlines has recovered the black boxes and will send them overseas for analysis, an airline spokesman said on Wednesday.
A spokesman of the Civil Aviation Department The prohibition is solely a precautionary measure to ensure aviation safety and protect the public.’’