With all the pressure from the media, flying public, blogs, and international aviation organizations worldwide, the U.S has finally relented and President Trump has ordered all 737 Max aircraft to be grounded effective immediately. Any aircraft that is already in the air, will be grounded at its destination The decision comes as new evidence has been brought to light regarding the crash of Ethiopian plane on Sunday. . Here is what Trump had to say about Boeing:
“Boeing is an incredible company,” Mr. Trump said. “They are working very, very hard right now and hopefully they’ll very quickly come up with the answer, but until they do, the planes are grounded.”
Here are the reasons the FAA now gives for the temporary halt of all flights by the 737 Max.
#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
I personally think Boeing should’ve brought out these updates yesterday as they seem to have heard multiple complaints regarding the issue at the end of last year. So they are definitely not working hard enough if they haven’t brought out the solution as of yet. I’m actually on the side of airlines like Norwegian, which are demanding compensation for the design flaw.
Here is the current map of aircraft still in the air (as of 3 PM CST)
Let me reiterate that this entire charade has certainly tarnished the reputation of the FAA, airlines involved, and Boeing. Since this seemed like an eventuality from the get go, they could’ve saved themselves the drama. Kudos to the public for making those reservation changes and the media for pressuring Washington into this final decision.
