Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority temporarily suspends Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from flying into and out of Singapore. Both Singapore CASS and Changi Airport announced the advisory on twitter.
CAAS temporarily suspends operation of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore. Read more here. https://t.co/zax5CPHgoC
— SingaporeCAAS (@SingaporeCAAS) March 12, 2019
#ADVISORY: The @SingaporeCAAS is temporarily suspending the operation of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore with effect from 1400hrs SGT on 12 March 2019.
— Changi Airport (@ChangiAirport) March 12, 2019
The decision comes after an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, a Boeing Max 8 aircraft crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people on board.
It was the second fatal accident involving that model in less than five months. Last year October 2018, Lion Air flight JT610 which also was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 model, crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after take-off, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board.
Singapore’s Changi Airport is the world’s sixth busiest and a major hub connecting Asia to Europe and the US.
But only a handful of airlines operate Max aircraft in and out of the country.
Several airlines and regulators around the world have already grounded the Max 8 model following the crash.
Some airlines has already taken the precaution to ground their Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes, however Singapore is believed to be the first country to ban all variants of the Max fleet of aircraft from flying into and out of Singapore.
The suspension went into effect from 12 Mar 2019 , 1400hrs SGT local time.
Singapore’s aviation authority said the affected airlines include SilkAir, which operates six Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, as well as China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air.
It said it is working with airlines and Changi Airport to minimise the impact on passengers. Experts told the BBC that disruption was likely, however.
CAAS is in close communication with affected airlines and Changi Airport Group to manage the effects of the Boeing 737 MAX flight disruptions.
Affected passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines.
— SingaporeCAAS (@SingaporeCAAS) March 12, 2019
