Canada grounds Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft

The US is now the only major nation not to ground the aircraft

Canada has banned Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from its airspace, following last Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The decision means that the US is now the only major nation yet to ground the aircraft.

The grounding means that commercial Boeing 737 MAX planes, whether flown by domestic or international airlines, cannot land, take-off or overfly Canadian airspace.

On Sunday, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX jet crashed shortly after take off from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 onboard.

“My thoughts continue to go out to all those affected by the tragic aircraft accident involving an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,” said Canada's minister of transport Marc Garneau this afternoon.

“Following advice from Transport Canada Civil Aviation experts, as a precautionary measure, I am issuing a safety notice to address this issue.

“This safety notice is effective immediately, and will remain in place until further notice.”

Canada joins a roster of countries that have banned the aircraft from their airspace. Yesterday, the EU aviation watchdog said that it would ground all Boeing 737 MAX jets as a precautionary measure.

Shortly after the UK banned the aircraft yesterday, two Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX jets bound for Gatwick and Birmingham turned around in mid-air and headed back to Istanbul.

Pressure is mounting on the US to take a similar stance. The most recent statement from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said: “Our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft.”

It emerged this morning that pilots from across the world had raised serious concerns over the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.