CNN showed the breaking news just a few minutes after 3:30 p.m. EDT. The decision comes after an earlier announcement by Canada banning the aircraft from Canadian airspace. Sunday’s disaster was the second such crash of a Max 8 aircraft following that of Lion Air which plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff in October.
Trump’s decisive move also comes after increased urging from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, demanding that public safety come before profits, while Boeing’s CEO, Dennis Muilenburg reportedly asked President Trump not to ground the company’s plane that has crashed twice in 5 months.
Canadian officials abruptly banned all Boeing 737 MAX planes from operating in the country’s airspace Wednesday, saying that new satellite data shows similarities between Sunday’s 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia and a previous crash involving the jetliner.
The satellite tracking data Transport Minister Marc Garneau was referring to came from aircraft tracking company Aireon – which
provided the real-time satellite tracking data, which shows the plane’s activity for the duration of the flight.
— Aireon (@AireonLLC) March 13, 2019
Trump said the FAA would be making the announcement soon to ground the planes, saying any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and then be grounded. Trump says the safety of the American people is of “paramount concern.”
