Boeing supports action to temporarily ground 737 MAX "out of an abundance of caution"

U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing said Wednesday it has "full confidence" in the safety of its 737 Max aircraft, but it supports action to temporarily ground the entire global fleet of 737 Max "out of an abundance of caution."

Boeing made the remarks in a statement issued shortly after U.S. President Trump said he was ordering grounding of Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), minutes after Trump's announcement, ordered the temporary grounding of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory.

Boeing said it has consulted with the U.S. FAA, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and aviation authorities and its customers around the world before recommending to the FAA the temporary suspension of operations of the 371 737 MAX aircraft worldwide.

"We are supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution. Safety is a core value at Boeing for as long as we have been building airplanes; and it always will be," said Dennis Muilenburg, president, CEO, chairman of The Boeing Company, in the statement.

He also extended the deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the "two tragic accidents," referring to the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday and the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October. The two crashes, both involving 737 Max 8 jets, happened in a short span of five months and killed 157 people and 189 people, respectively.

"Boeing continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX," the statement read.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)