Norwegian Air Shuttle announced yesterday that it will temporarily suspend Boeing 737 MAX flights, following recommendations by European aviation authorities.
The decision has come as a reaction to the Ethiopian Airlines disaster last weekend and second crashing of Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts in a short time. Norwegian Air Shuttle is one of the latest of the 40 airlines that operate the popular long-range twin-jet to announce a suspension of service.
“In response to the temporary suspension of Being 737 MAX operations by multiple aviation authorities we have taken the decision to not operate flights using this aircraft type until advised otherwise by the relevant aviation authorities,” Tomas Hesthammer, Norwegian’s acting Chief Operating Officer, said. “We would like to apologize to customers for any inconvenienced caused, however, safety will always remain our top priority.”
The airline said it “will not operate any flights with this aircraft type until further notice and they are in touch with aviation authorities and with Boeing for further recommendations.
Norwegian has 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8 in its fleet today. Norwegian received its first two 737 MAX aircraft in June of 2017, making the company the first European carrier to get the plane.
The company boasted that its 737 MAX 8 aircraft had 14% reduction in fuel use and CO2 emissions, 40% less noise, and 8% lower operating costs, ideal for Norwegian’s low-cost model, according to Forbes.
The airline hopes to have either its MAXes back or leased aircrafts to operate during the upcoming spring and summer travel season for avoiding distruption in its flights.
