Following the traffic plane crash ET302 Ethiopian Airlines, in which an 737 MAX 8 was involved, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)) made the decision to suspend all flights of 737 MAX aircraft in European airspace.
The directive entered into force on 12 March 2019, at 19 time: 00 UTC. This means that all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft are prohibited in European airspace. At the same time, all European airlines, which have 737 MAX aircraft, have had to keep them on the ground.
EASA suspended Boeing 737 MAX operations
In Europe, Boeing 737 MAX can be found in the fleets of LOT Polish Airlines, TUI, Icelandair, S7 Airlines, Corendon Airlines, AirItaly and Turkish Airlines.
Other affected flights are those operated by FlyDubai. Dubai's low-cost airline flies frequently with 737 MAX 8 to Bucharest.
At the moment, TAROM and Blue Air do not have 737 MAX aircraft in the fleet, but it is true that they have placed orders for this type of aircraft. Blue Air should receive the first copies this year, and TAROM could receive this type of aircraft much later. Note that flights operated by 737 Next Generation or Classic are not affected by the EASA directive.
The directive imposed by EASA remains in force until new information regarding the plane crash. The investigation is ongoing and Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines and NTSB are involved.
It is too early to draw the final conclusions. Every aviation accident is investigated in different directions, causes and effects.