Which airlines have grounded their Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft? (all MAX aircraft now grounded)

Here is a list of current known airlines that have grounded their Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft or have been ordered by their respective countries to ground their aircraft.

Aerolineas Argentinas – 5 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

AeroMexico – 6 Boeing 737-8 aircraft grounded

Air Canada – Canada closed its airspace to all MAX aircraft on March 13, 2019. 24 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8s grounded on March 13, 2019

Air China – 15 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Air Italy – 3 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded on March 12, 2019

American Airlines – FAA ordered all 24 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8s to be grounded on March 13, 2019.

Cayman Airways – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

China Eastern Airlines – 3 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

China Southern Airlines – 24 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Comair (British Airways franchise) – 1 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Copa Airlines – 6 Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 aircraft grounded on March 13, 2019

Enter Air – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Easter Jet – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft to be grounded on March 13, 2019

Enter Air – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft are currently not operating

Ethiopian Airlines – Remaining 4 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Fiji Airways – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft affectively grounded as Australia bans the aircraft type from Australian skies (except the New Zealand market). Fiji later banned.

flydubai – 11 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8s and 3 Boeing 737-9 MAX 9s grounded on March 12, 2019

Fuzhou Airlines – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft ground

Garuda Indonesia – 1 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 grounded

Gol Transportes Aéreos – 7 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 are grounded

Hainan Airlines – 11 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Icelandair – 3 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded on March 12, 2019

Jet Airways – 8 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft are stored

Kunming Airlines – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Lion Air – 10 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

LOT Polish Airlines – 5 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded on March 12, 2019

Lucky Air – 3 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Mongolian Airlines (MIAT) – 1 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Norwegian – 18 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded on March 12, 2019

OKAir (Okay Airways) – 1 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Oman Air – 5 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Royal Air Maroc – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Shandong Airlines – 6 Boeing 737-8 aircraft grounded

Shanghai Airlines – 11 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Shenzhen Airlines – 5 Boeing 737-8 aircraft grounded

SilkAir – 5 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

Smartwings – 7 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded on March 12, 2019

Southwest Airlines – FAA ordered all 34 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8s to be grounded on March 13, 2019.

SpiceJet – 13 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded on March 12, 2019

Sunwing Airlines – 4 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft we’re grounded on March 13, 2019

S7 Airlines – 2 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded on March 12, 2019

Thai Lion Air – 3 Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 aircraft were grounded on March 13, 2019

TUI Airlines Belgium – 4 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded on March 12, 2019

TUI Airways UK – 5 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded on March 12, 2019

TUI fly Netherlands – 3 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded on March 12, 2019

TUI fly Nordic – 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded on March 12, 2019

Turkish Airlines – 11 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8s and one Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 ground on March 13.

United Airlines – FAA ordered all 14 Boeing 737-9 MAX 9s to be grounded on March 13, 2019.

WestJet – Canada closed its airspace to all MAX aircraft on March 13, 2019. 13 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 grounded on March 13, 2019.

Xiamen Air – 10 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

9air.com (Jiu Yuan Airlines) – 1 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft grounded

In total, we currently show around 360 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are now being impacted or grounded. In addition, the affected airlines also have over 800 aircraft on order from Boeing and various leasing companies.

Note: We now believe that all Boeing 737 aircraft have been grounded worldwide except for test flights (by Boeing) or ferry flights without passengers. This list will not longer be maintained.

Emirates to launch a second daily flight to London Stansted

Emirates today announced the launch of a second daily flight from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) starting July 1, 2019. The additional flight means that Emirates customers will now have 11 daily flight options to and from three London airports.

As with the first, the second daily flight to Stansted will also be operated by Emirates’ ‘game changing’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration with 6 private suites in First Class, 42 fully-flat beds in Business Class and 306 seats in Economy Class. The aircraft offers customers an enriched travel experience across all cabins with newly designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems. Customers will also enjoy new levels of comfort with fully enclosed private suites in First Class as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins.

Beginning July 1, 2019, the first daily flight from Dubai to London Stansted will operate as EK65, departing Dubai at 0900hrs and arriving in London Stansted at 1330hrs. The return flight, EK66 will depart London Stansted at 1500hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0105hrs the following day. The second daily flight from Dubai to London Stansted will operate as EK67, departing Dubai at 1415hrs and arriving in London Stansted at 1845hrs. The return flight, EK68 will depart London Stansted at 2110hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0710hrs the following day.

Emirates second daily flight to London Stansted brings Emirates’ total weekly flights to the UK to 140 – six services a day from Heathrow, three daily from London Gatwick and Manchester, two daily from Birmingham, Glasgow and London Stansted, and a daily service from Newcastle and Edinburgh. Emirates serves a global network of 158 destinations.

All photos by Emirates.

Boeing to “enhance” the 737 MAX software, other airlines ground its MAX aircraft

Boeing has made this announcement:

The Boeing Company is deeply saddened by the loss of Lion Air Flight 610, which has weighed heavily on the entire Boeing team, and we extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those onboard.

Safety is a core value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of our airplanes, our customers’ passengers and their crews is always our top priority. The 737 MAX is a safe airplane that was designed, built and supported by our skilled employees who approach their work with the utmost integrity.

For the past several months and in the aftermath of Lion Air Flight 610, Boeing has been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer. This includes updates to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control law, pilot displays, operation manuals and crew training. The enhanced flight control law incorporates angle of attack (AOA) inputs, limits stabilizer trim commands in response to an erroneous angle of attack reading, and provides a limit to the stabilizer command in order to retain elevator authority.

Boeing has been working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on development, planning and certification of the software enhancement, and it will be deployed across the 737 MAX fleet in the coming weeks. The update also incorporates feedback received from our customers.

The FAA says it anticipates mandating this software enhancement with an Airworthiness Directive (AD) no later than April. We have worked with the FAA in development of this software enhancement.

It is important to note that the FAA is not mandating any further action at this time, and the required actions in AD2018-23.5 continue to be appropriate.

A pitch augmentation control law (MCAS) was implemented on the 737 MAX to improve aircraft handling characteristics and decrease pitch-up tendency at elevated angles of attack. It was put through flight testing as part of the certification process prior to the airplane entering service. MCAS does not control the airplane in normal flight; it improves the behavior of the airplane in a non-normal part of the operating envelope.

Boeing’s 737 MAX Flight Crew Operations Manual (FCOM) already outlines an existing procedure to safely handle the unlikely event of erroneous data coming from an angle of attack (AOA) sensor. The pilot will always be able to override the flight control law using electric trim or manual trim. In addition, it can be controlled through the use of the existing runaway stabilizer procedure as reinforced in the Operations Manual Bulletin (OMB) issued on Nov. 6, 2018.

Additionally, we would like to express our deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. A Boeing technical team is at the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. It is still early in the investigation, as we seek to understand the cause of the accident.

In other news, Australia and Singapore have also suspended all MAX aircraft registered in their countries.

Additionally, Aerolineas Argentinas, AeroMexico and Gol Transportes Aéreos have all grounded their MAX aircraft.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Boeing): Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 ET-AVJ (msn 62450) BFI (Preston Fiedler). Image: 945949.

Ethiopian Airlines aircraft slide show:

FAA’s updated statement on the Boeing 737 MAX

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued this short statement and CANIC:

Comair temporarily takes its new MAX 8 aircraft out of schedule

Comair has just issued this statement:

Comair has decided to remove its 737 MAX 8 from its flight schedule, although neither regulatory authorities nor the manufacturer has required it to do so, Wrenelle Stander, executive director of Comair’s airline division, said on Monday afternoon.

While Comair has done extensive preparatory work prior to the introduction of the first 737 MAX 8 into its fleet and remains confident in the inherent safety of the aircraft, it has decided temporarily not to schedule the aircraft while it consults with other operators, Boeing and technical experts.

“The safety and confidence of our customers and crew is always our priority,” Stander said.

The MAX 8 is the latest iteration of the most common commercial aircraft ever manufactured. It is well-established around the world, particularly in the fleets of large carriers in the United States. There are currently over 370 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in operation, with 47 airlines. The type operates approximately 1 500 flights a day and has accumulated over 250 000 flights in total with an excellent record of daily reliability.

Top Copyright Photo: British Airways-Comair (South Africa) Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 ZS-ZCA (msn 60432) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 945738.

British Airways-Comair aircraft slide show: CLICK HERE

Le One is a new Maltese charter airline, planning to start operations on June 1 from Naples

Le One is a new Maltese charter airline. Le One is the brand of Aerospace Engineering Service Limited of Malta.

The new airline is expecting its first Boeing 737-400 in May 2019. It is planning to commence operations on June 1, 2019 from Naples’ Capodichino Airport pending certification. Le One will operate charters to Egypt and Greece.

The airline is partnering with broker Astra Charters of Rome.

Image: Le One.

Air Peace’s statement on its Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 order

Air Peace issued this statement in the wake of the two MAX 8 accidents:

Air Lease Corporation announces delivery of Airbus A320-200neo aircraft with Air New Zealand

Air Lease Corporation (ALC) has announced the delivery of one new Airbus A320-200neo aircraft on long-term lease to Air New Zealand. Featuring Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines, this aircraft is the first of two A320-200neos confirmed to deliver the airline in 2019 from ALC’s order book with Airbus.

“We are pleased to be the first to introduce the A320-200neo to Air New Zealand’s fleet and continue the long and excellent relationship that ALC has with the airline,” said Grant Levy, Executive Vice President of Air Lease Corporation. “The A320-200neo provides key enhancements to the airline’s operations as Air New Zealand continues to add the most technological advanced, fuel-efficient aircraft to modernize their expanding fleet and offer the highest quality passenger experience.”

Image: Air New Zealand.

Azul signs non-binding agreement to acquire select assets of Avianca Brasil

Azul S.A, the largest airline in Brazil by number of departures and destinations, has announced today that it has signed a non-binding agreement with Avianca Brasil to acquire certain assets of Avianca Brasil for the indicative purchase price of up to US$105 million.

As provided by the Brazilian Bankruptcy and Judicial Reorganization Law, the assets will be transferred to a new entity free and clear of all debts and liabilities (“NewCo”). The proposed NewCo solely includes certain assets selected by Azul including Avianca Brasil’s operating certificate, 70 pair of slots and approximately 30 Airbus A320 aircraft.

The offer is non-binding and remains subject to a number of conditions precedent, including due diligence, regulatory and creditors approvals, and the conclusion of Avianca Brazil’s judicial reorganization. Azul estimates that the process could take up to three months to be concluded.

Azul will keep the market informed of any relevant developments.

Above Copyright Photo (all others by the airlines): Avianca (Brazil) (OceanAir Linhas Aereas) Airbus A320-251N WL PR-OBD (msn 7175) GRU (Rodrigo Cozzato). Image: 938772.

Avianca Brasil aircraft slide show:

If concluded, is this the end of Avianca Brasil?

Route Map:

Royal Air Maroc suspends Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 operations

Royal Air Maroc is joining other carriers by voluntarily suspending indefinitely the use of its new Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft as of today. Royal Air Maroc’s CEO, Abdelhamid Addou, stated the company would suspend all MAX flights.

Meanwhile in Africa, Comair, another MAX operator, issued this statement:

Our sympathies are with those affected by the heartbreaking tragedy of Ethiopian Airlines, flight ET 302 – March 10, 2019, especially the families and loved ones of the deceased. We cannot speculate on the causes of this accident, or the Lion Air accident in October 2018, which only a full investigation will resolve. Comair will continue to monitor the various investigations by the relevant authorities and are in close contact with both Boeing and the SACAA.

The 737 MAX 8 is one of the most commonly used aircraft in many airlines today and by November 2018, 330 737 MAX 8 aircraft were in operation globally.

Our highly trained and experienced flight crew and engineers remain vigilant. If we receive information that requires us to reassess the situation, please be assured we will take appropriate action in the interests of the safety of our staff and customers. Safety remains our foremost priority and we will not compromise on the safety of our crew and our customers.