Norway closes its airspace for the Boeing 737 MAX
Norway closes the airspace for the aircraft type Boeing 737 MAX 8, the Civil Aviation Authority tells NRK.
“The closure is according to the advice of the European Aviation Authorities,” the Norwegian Airspace Authority informs.
Norwegian has already decided to ground its 18 aircraft after the British aviation authorities CAA UK introduced a temporary flight ban for the aircraft type in British airspace and for UK-registered aircraft generally.
In Europe, it is so far known that the UK, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and Turkey are closing their airspace as well.
Eleven at Gardermoen, one in Trondheim
Norwegian is busy rebooking passengers after the Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet has been grounded. The airline promises that those affected will be notified directly.
Seven Norwegian Airlines flight cancellations were registered among the departures, as well as five arrivals on Wednesday, according to Avinor’s records. There are no cancellations involving Bergen, but one arrival in Trondheim.
Affect thousands
Norwegian writes in a press release that due to the uncertainty associated with the situation it is not possible to offer reimbursement for, or rebooking of future departures that were to involve the 737 MAX.
Norwegian Airlines owns a total of 18 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
“Affected passengers are notified directly. Everyone else should act as normal. We merge flights, which means that all persons who are affected are rebooked on the same day, ” Communications Adviser in Norwegian, Tonje Næss, tells NTB.
Communication Manager of Norwegian, Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen, informs NRK that thousands of passengers will be affected by the flight ban.
Sandaker-Nielsen further tells E24 that the company will not hire replacement aircraft. He asserts that it is not a question of «large disturbances».
The 373 MAX accounts for about 10 per cent of Norway’s total fleet, according to NRK.
Facts about the affected parties
There are about 350 B-737 MAX 8 aircraft in operation in the world today. More than 5,000 are on order. A number of countries and airlines have temporarily closed the airspace for the aircraft type and/or grounded type model after Sunday’s plane crash in Ethiopia.
Countries
- Europe: The European Aviation Authority (EASA) has closed the airspace for all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft
- Asia: India, Singapore, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait
- Oceania: Australia
Carriers
- Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia, owner of the crashed plane).
- Comair (South Africa)
- Cayman Airways (Cayman Islands)
- Gol Airlines (Brazil)
- Aerolineas Argentinas (Argentina)
- Eastar Jet (South Korea)
- Norwegian (Norway)
- Icelandair (Iceland)
- Turkish Airlines (Turkey)
- TUI (Tour operator)
- AeroMexico (Mexico)
Countries who haven’t decided
- Russia
- Canada
-
The United States
Neither the aircraft manufacturer Boeing nor the FAA has found any reason to follow suit. The same applies to all US airlines.
Sources: AFP, DPA, The Straits Times
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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