(ECNS) -- China's civil aviation authority has required all domestic airlines to suspend flights of Boeing 737-8 aircraft after an Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashed minutes after take-off on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said the accident happened after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive ordering operators to revise the airplane flight manual in the aftermath of the deadly Lion Air flight.
In order to ensure the safety of civil aviation in China, Boeing 737-8 aircraft operated by domestic airlines will be suspended by 6:00 p.m. on March 11.
The CAAC will contact the U.S. FAA and Boeing to confirm safety measures before directing airlines to resume commercial operations of Boeing 737-8 aircraft.
The crash has raised questions about the safety of the Boeing planes, the same model as the Lion Air jet that crashed near Jakarta, minutes after take-off, killing all 189 on board in Oct. 2018.
In view of the fact that the two crashes involved newly delivered Boeing 737-8 aircraft, and both occurred during take-off, they have certain similarities, the CAAC said.
