SilkAir's Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operating as scheduled; airline says closely monitoring situation
11 March, 2019
SilkAir - the regional arm of Singapore Airlines (SIA) - said on Monday (Mar 11) that its Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes are operating as scheduled even as it is "closely monitoring the situation" following the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
The Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, a Boeing 737 Max 8, crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.
It was the second crash of the 737 MAX 8, the latest version of Boeing's workhorse narrowbody jet that first entered service in 2017.
SilkAir currently has six Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes in its fleet with another 31 on firm order.
According to global flight tracking service Flightradar24, the six planes travel to various destinations in Asia and Australia, including Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket, Chongqing, Bangalore and Darwin.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and our Boeing 737-8MAX aircraft are continuing to operate as scheduled. Currently, within the Group, SilkAir has six 737-8MAX aircraft in service and another 31 on firm order," an SIA spokesperson said in response to Channel NewsAsia's queries.
The plane had earlier come under the spotlight over safety concerns following the Lion Air crash last October that killed all 189 people on board just 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta.
Following Sunday's crash, China's aviation regulator has ordered Chinese airlines to suspend their Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operations by 6pm.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement it would notify airlines as to when they could resume flying the jets after contacting Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration to ensure flight safety.
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