Earlier today, an Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 carrying 149 passengers and eight crew members, crashed minutes after takeoff from the Bole International Airport. The plane was flying from the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya.
A spokesperson for the company said there were no survivors; unfortunately.
According to available information, the flight took off at 8:38 a.m local time and lost contact six minutes later.
Following the disaster, Boeing issued a statement saying that it is “deeply saddened” by the development and that it is ready to provide technical support towards unraveling the mystery of what caused the brand new jet to crash.
Tragedy strikes twice in 5 months for Boeing’s 737 Max 8
On October 29th, 2018, an Indonesian airline, Lion Air flight 610, took off from the Soekarno-Hatta international airport in Jakarta at 6:21 a.m. The flight’s destination was Pangkal Pinang, the provincial capital of a small island in the Java Sea. But eleven minutes after takeoff, the plane plunged into the sea. All 189 passengers were killed.
What many people find alarming is fact that both Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 are the same model 737 Max 8 airplane from American aerospace manufacturer — Boeing. The Max 8 is an upgrade on Boeing’s best-selling 737. Investigations (which are still ongoing) carried out on the Lion Air crash, speculated that a Sensor malfunction on the plane may have been responsible for the sudden nosedive into the sea.
It should also be noted that Lion Air has had a long history of maintenance problems with its fleet.
But in the case of the Ethiopian Airline flight 302, it is a brand new jet that was just acquired by the company barely four months ago.
Should Nigeria’s Air Peace and other Airlines be worried?
In September 2018, Air Peace and Boeing made a joint announcement — Air Peace had placed an order for ten 737 Max 8 planes from Boeing. It is understood that the planes will be delivered over a number of years, as Air Peace increases its fleet to expand to international travel. The announcement was made at a signing ceremony in Lagos.
In the events of these reported crashes, should the young Nigerian airline be worried over its continued partnership with Boeing?
It should be noted that the Boeing 737 Max 8 is already in use around the world by other airlines including American Airlines, Air Italy, FlyDubai, LOT Polish Airlines, Norwegian Air and TUI Airways.
Further information on what caused the tragic crash in Addis Ababa is expected over the coming days and weeks.