WASHINGTON -- US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday said it saw "no basis" to ground Boeing 737 Max planes, despite two recent similar crashes involving aircraft in the series.
"Thus far, our review shows no systemic performance issues and provides no basis to order grounding the aircraft. Nor have other civil aviation authorities provided data to us that would warrant action," the statement said.
The statement came amid mounting safety concerns following two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in just a span of about five months.
An Ethiopian Airlines plane en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya crashed Sunday, killing all 157 people aboard. A Lion Air crash in October in Indonesia killed all 189 people on board.
A growing number of countries and airlines has terminated the operation of the model, while US lawmakers, experts, and industry associations are calling for its grounding in the United States.
According to the FAA, 74 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes are currently being operated by US carriers. (Xinhua)
