Boeing 737 tragedies: The Aussie airline that has ordered a fleet of the same plane
<p>An Australian carrier has ordered 30 of the aircraft that was involved in a fatal crash that killed 157 people on Sunday.</p>
<p>Australia’s second largest airline, Virgin Australia said it is too early to comment on whether it will cancel its order of the Boeing 737 MAX 8s following the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on the weekend, which is the second incident involving the new aircraft in months.</p>
<p>Virgin Australia made the order for 30 of the Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 10 of the Boeing 737 MAX 10s in 2012.</p>
<p>On Sunday, the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed only six minutes after taking off, killing all 157 passengers and crew on board. In October, the same model owned by Lion Air crashed into the sea in Indonesia, resulting in 189 deaths.</p>
<p>The 737 MAX 8 aircraft has been in commercial use since 2017. More than 5,000 planes in the MAX series have been ordered, with 350 of them delivered.</p>
<p>In the wake of the tragedy on the weekend, several airlines around the world – including Ethiopian Airlines – have grounded the Boeing aircraft.</p>
<p>China’s Civil Aviation Authority said it ordered airlines in the country to suspend the use of the aircraft "in view of the fact that both air crashes are recently-delivered Boeing 737-8 aircraft, and they both occurred in the take-off phase, and had certain similarities ... in line with the management principle of zero tolerance for safety hazards and strict control of safety risks".</p>
<p>Aviation authorities in Indonesia have also put the model on a temporary ground, while the Indian aviation regulator issued a rule on Monday to limit the operation of MAX 8s only to pilots with more than 1,000 hours of training.</p>
<p>However, president of the Virgin Independent Pilots Association, Captain John Lyons, also said Virgin Australia and TigerAir pilots have the “utmost confidence in the Boeing 737”.</p>
<p>“VIPA continues to have the utmost confidence in the Boeing 737 and the rigorous training that Virgin Australia provides its pilots,” Lyons said in a statement.</p>
<p>“We look forward to its introduction at Virgin Australia as it brings outstanding commercial advantages to the airline and enhanced customer appeal.</p>
<p>“Boeing has delivered more than 10,000 737 aircraft since it first flew in 1967, accumulating nearly 300 million flight hours with the lowest fatality rate of passenger airliners.</p>
<p>“Without exception, this makes the 737 the safest and most popular commercial jet ever.”</p>
<p>Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas also suggested it is too early to draw conclusions from the incidents.</p>
<p>“If determined there is a problem and something needs to be adjusted, then Boeing will do that,” Thomas told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/aviation/no-need-for-panic-over-virgin-australias-order-of-boeing-737-maxs-says-aviation-expert-ng-b881132238z" target="_blank">AAP</a>.</p>
