Ethiopian Airline crash: No plan to cancel order for 10 B737 MAX 800 —Air Peace

Nigerian domestic carrier , Air Peace , says it has no plan to cancel its order for 10 Boeing 737- MAX 800 airplanes following worldwide concerns about the aircraft safety .
The airline spokesman said any decision about cancelling the order was premature .

Corporate Communications Manager, Air Peace , Mr . Chris Iwarah , spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos .

He said the airline will continue to act in the interest of the safety of the flying public .

NAN reports that Ethiopian Airlines had grounded all B – 737 MAX 800 aircraft in its fleet till further notice, following Sunday’ s crash of its fight ET 302 which killed all 157 persons on board .

The aircraft en route Nairobi from Addis Ababa , crashed six minutes after takeoff around Bishoftu , 40 miles south – east of the Ethiopian capital .

The crash was the second involving the B737 MAX 800 aircraft in the past four months following October 2018 crash involving a Lion Air plane which crashed into the sea off Jakarta , in Indonesia , killing all 189 people on board .

Other carriers in China and elsewhere have grounded the B 737 MAX 800 aircraft in their fleets due to safety concerns .

Iwarah told NAN that the multi – million dollar deal signed between Air Peace and the American aircraft manufacturer , The Boeing Company , on September 13 , 2018 for the delivery of 10 brand new B737 MAX 800 aircraft was still on .

“ At this moment , it is premature to begin to talk about things and conclusions that have not been put in the public domain .

“ Investigations into the crashes involving B737 MAX 800 are ongoing , so it will not be fair at this time to begin to make definite comments on those issues .

“ We are still in the domain of investigation , but we want to assure the public that we are following the development very closely , ” he said .

The Air Peace spokesperson said the airline had not yet taken delivery of the ordered aircraft , adding that before that time , issues surrounding its safety must have been identified by global aviation experts .

Iwarah said : “ We also trust that Boeing is capable of responding to the issues technically. They have the capacity to respond to that .

“ I want to say clearly that we will not engage in anything that will jeopardise the lives and safety of our passengers . There is no basis for talking about cancelling the order .

“ Any step we take now will be premature until investigations are concluded . So, we are following the investigations very closely to ensure that at the end of the day only the right thing is done .

“ Whatever steps we take will be in line with what favours safety and what is in the interest of our passengers . ”

He further explained that the B737 Max Air were “ suspended ” by those already operating the equipment to enable investigation run its course .

“ If investigation runs its course and they feel that there is nothing to be worried about , they will lift that suspension and continue to operate the aircraft but on our part , we have not even taken delivery .

“ We are currently working with Boeing , we are also asking questions and following all developments because we are a safety conscious airline , ” Iwarah added .

( NAN)

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