Kuwait suspends Boeing 737 Max-8 operations

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KUWAIT CITY, March 13, (KUNA): Kuwait Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) has announced the suspension of operation of all Boeing 737 Max-8 planes after two planes of the same type crashed in five months.

DGCA said in a statement all Boeing 737 Max-8 flights, including the transits, were suspended until further notice.

An Ethiopian Boeing 737 Max-8 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa killing all 157 people on board.

An Indonesian plane of the same type crashed last October killing around 189 people. Kuwait’s ban followed similar moves by France, Britain and Turkey earlier Tuesday. Meanwhile, Aviation Lease and Finance Company (ALAFCO) said Wednesday that its fleet, consisting of 64 planes, did not include the Boeing 737 Max-8.

In its bulletin, ALAFCO said that it registered an order of 118 planes to be delivered this year. The deal includes the delivery of 40 Boeing 737 Max-8, indicated ALAFCO according to a May 16, 2018 press release on the matter. It affirmed that the transaction was still intact and there were no immediate re-negotiations on it.

In reaction to the Ethiopian airliner disaster, which involved this type of aircraft, ALAFCO expressed sorrow over the tragic event, adding that it was awaiting the official results of the investigations behind the crash.

Aircraft manufacturers are the ones responsible for any technical malfunctions exhibited in the planes and they were financially liable to fix the problem, ALAFCO said. ALAFCO was established in 2000 and it was listed at the stock exchange in 2006 with a capital of KD 95.2 million (around $314.1 million).

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