CAAS to temporarily suspend all B-737 MAX operations in and out of Singapore
UPDATE: Statement from Singapore Airlines.
All variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft flying into and out of Singapore are being temporarily suspended, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a media statement on Tuesday (12 March).
The suspension takes effect from 2pm on Tuesday, and will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available.
The move comes after two fatal plane crashes involving B-737 MAX 8 aircrafts in the space of just five months. The latest crash occurred on Sunday, when an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed soon after taking off from the Addis Ababa airport, killing all 157 people on board.
The deadly crash comes less than five months after an aircraft of the same model operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air crashed 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta last October. All 189 people on board perished in the incident.
SilkAir affected by suspension
CAAS said in its statement that SilkAir, which operates six B-737 MAX aircrafts, will be affected by the temporary suspension. The airline currently operates the aircraft to Bengaluru, Cairns, Chongqing, Darwin, Hiroshima, Hyderabad, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket and Wuhan.
The other airlines currently operating B-737 MAX aircraft to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.
CAAS said it is working with Changi Airport Group and the affected airlines to minimise any impact to travelling passengers.
During the temporary suspension, it will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the B-737 MAX aircraft. It added that it is closely monitoring the situation and is in close communication with the United States Federal Aviation Administration and other aviation regulators, as well as Boeing.
CAAS also said that it has been in regular contact with SilkAir on its operations since last year, and has been satisfied that it has been taking appropriate measures to comply with the necessary safety requirements.
Singapore Airlines, which SilkAir is a subsidiary of, released a statement confirming the suspension of operations of SilkAir’s B-737 MAX 8 jets.
It added, “The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority. As of this morning, all six aircraft have been grounded in Singapore and will not be returned to service until further notice. Our 17 Boeing 737-800NGs are not affected.
“The withdrawal from service of the 737 MAX 8 fleet will have an impact on some of the airline’s flight schedules. Customers who may be affected by flight disruptions will be contacted for re-accommodation.
“Customers affected by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight disruptions who require assistance may email SQ_support@singaporeair.com.sg with their six-character booking reference number and contact details, or contact our Singapore hotline at +65-62238888. As we are experiencing high call volumes at our call centres, we strongly encourage customers to email for any assistance.”
More than 20 airlines stopped B-737 MAX 8 operations
Since the Ethiopian Airline plane crash, more than 20 airlines – including all Chinese carriers that operate the plane – have stopped flying their B-737 MAX 8 jets. South Korea and India have also begun a special inspection of the aircraft.
Of the 378 B-737 MAX 8 aircraft flying around the world today, about 100 belong to Chinese carriers and 20 to airlines based in South-east Asia. US carrier Southwest Airlines has the largest fleet of B-737 MAX 8 planes, followed by Europe’s Ryanair.
Boeing had confirmed the Federal Aviation Administration’s announcement on Monday that it will deploy a software upgrade across the 737 MAX 8 fleet “in the coming weeks” as pressure mounted.
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SilkAir’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes operating as scheduled; airline ‘monitoring development’
