Comair grounds its Boeing 737 Max 8 following deadly crashes
The airline yields to public pressure after fatal crash claims 157 lives in Ethiopia at the weekend
JSE-listed airline Comair on Monday relented to public pressure and decided to stop using its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after the fatal weekend crash in Ethiopia, the second involving the model in less than five months. The South African airline, which operates the British Airways brand locally, said it had taken the decision even though it remained confident about the "inherent safety" of the plane. It had decided temporarily not to schedule the aircraft, while it consulted other operators, Boeing and technical experts. "The safety and confidence of our customers and crew is always our priority," Wrenelle Stander, executive director of Comair’s airline division, said in a statement on Monday. The decision came as potential Comair customers, along with travellers around the globe, took to social media to express concern about the safety of the planes. While investigators have yet to make a link between the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 passengers and crew, and an acci...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.