All Boeing 737 Max banned from CI airspace

Wednesday 13 March 2019

An immediate ban has been placed on all Boeing 737 Max types flying through Channel Island air space until the cause of the Ethiopian Airlines accident has been confirmed.

The pan-island Director of Civil Aviation made the announcement this morning, a day after the planes were banned from flying within European airspace.

That decision was made after everyone on board the Ethiopian Airlines flight died in a tragic accident at the weekend.

Pictured: The search for any potential survivors or clues after the crash. 

157 people had been on board, including seven Britons and one Irish citizen, when the jet crashed just six minutes after taking off from the capital Addis Ababa on Sunday.

That tragedy has now led to a blanket ban on any of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft entering the Channel Islands Control Zone "with immediate effect until further evidence is available from the investigation" which is ongoing in Ethiopia.

While the Boeing 737 Max do not ordinarily fly into Guernsey Airport, they are able to land in the island with a low payload, or if they have to be re-registered via the Guernsey Aircraft registry, 2-REG.

In the immediate aftermath of the accident, questions were asked about the safety record of the Boeing 737 Max, with a ban on the planes flying through European airspace following soon after.

Initially the only local impact was on people booked to fly to Tenerife with local tour operator, FlyDirect, which operates flights from Jersey, with connections from Guernsey. The people who had booked with the travel operator to fly off on a sunshine break this year were told they had to fly on another aircraft which is now being sorted out for them.

Managing Director of the CI Travel Group, Robert Mackenzie, said; "Following the tragic events in Ethiopia over the weekend, we are aware that the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft type currently operated by Smartwings for the FlyDirect Tenerife programme has been stopped from operating within UK airspace by the CAA.

"We are in contact with Smartwings regarding the operation of the programme and they have confirmed that flights from next Monday onwards will be operated as planned, with an alternative aircraft type."

Pictured: The FlyDirect route from Jersey to Tenerife, with connections from Guernsey, is scheduled through to 29 April.

Pictured: The type of aircraft – a Boeing 737 Max - which has been banned from CI airspace.