Boeing says no new guidance to offer following second crash

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing said Monday that it does not have new guidance to offer following the second crash by its 737 Max 8 model in recent months.

"The investigation is in its early stages, but at this point, based on the information available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," Boeing said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.

"We are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident," the statement said, referring to Sunday's deadly crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 that killed 157 people on board.

The statement came as the global aviation industry is alarmed by two recent crashes of 737 Max 8 jetliner. A Lion Air flight crashed in October 2018, killing all 189 people on board.

Though investigations into the causes of the two flights are still ongoing, similar crashes of the same model nevertheless fueled speculations that the popular model may be flawed.

Ethiopian Airlines announced its decision to suspend commercial operations of all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Moreover, China and Indonesia, and Caribbean carrier Cayman Airways temporarily grounded their Max 8s.

Ethiopian Airlines said Sunday one of its flights bound for Nairobi, Kenya had crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people aboard. The victims included nationals from more than 30 countries.