Europe bans Boeing 737 Max aircraft from skies

Following the horrific Ethiopia Airlines plane crash, which killed 157 people on board, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has announced it is suspending “all flight operations of all Boeing Model 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX airplanes in Europe,” as of today, March 13, 2019.

The plane crash two days ago, was the second disaster involving the Boeing 737 Max 8 model in less than five months, after last October's Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed all 189 people on board, prompting questions and concerns about the safety of the model.

Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Oman, among other countries, had already taken steps to ban the plane from their airspace since the March 10 crash, while nearly 30 individual airlines across the world have grounded their own 737 Max planes. Boeing, which manufactures the 737 Max, maintains that the model is safe.

The EASA said it was "taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of passengers."