Europe grounds Boeing 737 Max jets

European aviation regulators grounded the use of Boeing's 737 Max jetliners following the deadly crash of the same model of aircraft flown by Ethiopian Airlines which killed 157 people.

European Union’s (EU) call comes after other regulators including China, Singapore, and Britain grounded Boeing’s 737 airplane variant. This is the second same plane model from Boeing that has crashed in less than five months, raising questions on the safety of the airline company’s bestselling 737s.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said on Tuesday the decision to suspend operations not only applies to airlines within the EU but to operators outside of the region flying to or from the region. The regulator said it ‘is taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of passengers’.

Aeroplane manufacturer Boeing said in a statement it understands that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets.

‘We’ll continue to engage with all of them to ensure they have all the information they need to have the confidence they need safely to continue to operate their fleets or return them to service,’ Boeing said.

US aviation regulator not banning the American-manufactured plane

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had said on Monday it did not see a reason to ground the planes but it has ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the 737 Max aircraft.

The FAA has ordered Boeing to improve anti-stalling software and the model's manoeuvring system, giving the company until the end of April to make the updates.

Investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the crashed Ethiopian Airlines plane.

Boeing’s shares suffered heavy losses on Tuesday, as it sank 6.15% or US$24.60, to US$375.41 at the close, sinking further from Monday’s 5.33% slide.