More Countries Ban 737 Max 8 Aircraft, But Not HK

Hong Kong aviation authorities have been criticised for adopting a wait-and-see attitude on whether to ban Boeing 737 Max 8 planes from its airspace following a deadly crash in Ethiopia on Sunday in which 157 people died, including a Hong Kong man. A growing number of countries have opted to ban the use of the aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) said in a statement on Tuesday that it's contacting the only two airlines who use the aircraft on services to Hong Kong - India's SpiceJet and Russia's Globus Airlines.

It also said it would monitor developments, noting that the accident is still being investigated.

The CAD added that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States has said the planes are airworthy.

However, pilot-turned-lawmaker Jeremy Tam said says the department should take the initiative.

Tam said it didn't matter whether it was a single plane or a single airline, because passengers were still at risk.

"You have to send a strong signal to FAA and Boeing to fix this issue and to ground the aircraft," Tam said.

Several countries, including China, Singapore and Australia, banned the planes after the crash, and France, Germany, Ireland, Britain, the Netherlands and the EU aviation safety agency followed suit on Tuesday.

However, US authorities said on Tuesday they would not make any decision on the matter until they had more evidence.

"We continue to be involved in the accident investigation and will make decisions on any further steps based on the evidence," FAA spokesperson Lynn Lunsford said. (Staff reporter, AFP)

Last updated: 2019-03-13 HKT 01:56