Boeing says no new guidance to be issued to 737 Max operators

U.S. top aircraft manufacturer Boeing Tuesday ruled out any new guidance for 737 Max operators, despite concerns of customers and air carriers in some countries that have 737 Max fleets for commercial operations.

Boeing said in a short statement the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is not mandating any further action at this time.

"Based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators," it said.

"We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets," but "we have full confidence in the safety of the 737 Max," said the company.

The Boeing announcement came two days after an aircraft of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 bound for Nairobi, Kenya crashed Sunday morning, killing all 157 passengers and crews on board a 737 Max 8 plane.

The air crash was the second fatal incident involving the same 737 Max model in five months.

On Oct. 29, 2018, a 737 Max aircraft of Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610 slammed into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia shortly after departure, killing all 189 on board.

Although it is too early to determine what caused Sunday's deadly crash, there was growing concern about the safety of the 737 Max aircraft as the two crashes that occurred in half a year involved the new model of the 737 Max family that were delivered not long ago.

Immediately after the Sunday tragedy, Ethiopian Airlines grounded all of its 737 Max 8 planes out of an abundance of caution.

Some other countries including China, Singapore, Britain, France, and Indonesia have grounded the 737 Max 8 or Max series planes as well.

Boeing said Monday it is planning to make safety upgrade to software that is to be deployed across the 737 Max fleet in the coming weeks.

The company noted that it is working with the FAA to develop the software enhancement, which the federal regulators hoped to mandate with an Airworthiness Directive no later than April.