President Trump announced on Wednesday that he is grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 planes after the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday that claimed 157 lives. “We’re going to be ordering an emergency order to ground all 737 Max 8 and the 737 Max 9 and planes associated with that line,” Trump told reporters. “Any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and thereafter be grounded until further notice.” Airlines have already been notified of the decision, Trump said. “Boeing is an incredible company they are working very, very hard right now and hopefully they’ll very quickly come up with the answer,” Trump added. “But until they do, the planes are grounded.” He said Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration Daniel Elwell, and Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg “are all in agreement with the action.”
In a statement later Wednesday, Boeing said it would recommend that the FAA temporarily suspend the entire global fleet of 737 MAX aircraft “out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft’s safety.” The company insisted it still has “full confidence in the safety” of the plane.
