Semarang: Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed on Tuesday that his ministry has decided to ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in Indonesia for at least a week.
"We will ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in Indonesia. We will observe the planes for a week," the minister said one the sidelines of Himpuni forum in the Central Java city of Semarang.
Budi explained that the ministry will deploy a special team to check all the planes. He added that his office will coordinate with all stakeholders to ensure the safety of the jets.
"If we doesn't find anything, the planes can resume operations. If we find something suspicios, authorities will take necessary measures," the minister added.
According to reports, Indonesia's budget airlines Lion Air currently has 10 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. In the meantime, the country's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has one Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
"Garuda and Lion have accepted this decision. We will inform Boeing later," the minister stated.
On Sunday, the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Flight 302 aircraft crashed to the ground shortly after takeoff, killing 157 passengers and crew, including one Indonesian citizen.
"We are deeply saddened by news on the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302. Our deepest condolences go out to all those affected by this horrific incident," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said on its official Twitter account on Monday.
The doomed plane departed from Bole Airport in Addis Ababa at 8:38 a.m. local time, before losing contact with the control tower just a few minutes later at 8:44 a.m. local time.
"The Indonesian Embassy in Ethiopia will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates," it remarked.
Besides Indonesia, a number of countries have also grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in the wake of the crash, including China, Singapore as well as Australia.
Cek Berita dan Artikel yang lain di Google News
FOLLOW US
Ikuti media sosial medcom.id dan dapatkan berbagai keuntungan
