The U.S. is now virtually alone in allowing Boeing 737 MAX jets to fly

(Image credit: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

published 13 March 2019

With Tuesday's decision by the European Aviation Safety Agency to ban Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from the airspace of the 32 countries it oversees, the U.S. is one of the few remaining countries still allowing the aircraft to fly. Two Boeing 737 MAX 8s have crashed in the last six months, including Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines tragedy.

The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing are standing behind the new jet. "Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft," FAA Administrator Daniel Elwell said in a statement Tuesday evening, and no other civil aviation authority has "provided data to us that would warrant action."

Turkish Airlines, Icelandair, South Korea's Eastar Jet, and Oman Air were among the latest airlines to ground their Boeing 737 MAX 8s, and the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia have also barred the jet from taking off or landing in their countries. U.S. airlines American and Southwest are continuing to fly their 737 MAX 8s, and a vice president for American said the world's biggest carrier has "full confidence in the aircraft." But several U.S. lawmakers, Consumer Reports, former Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood, and others disagree, arguing it would be safer to ground the plans pending further study.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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