Hanoi (VNA) – The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) on March 13 decided to nullify the granted licences and not to grant new ones for flights using the Boeing 737 Max to enter Vietnam’s airspace.

The decision took effect on 10am the same day, in reference to the Ethiopian Airlines accident on March 10 morning, which is the second involving the Boeing 737 Max in just several months.

On March 12, CAAV Deputy Director Vo Huy Cuong said that the agency has decided not to grant a type certificate to Boeing 737 Max aircraft until the cause of the accident is clarified and the US Federal Aviation Administration issues measures to deal with it.

Vietnamese airlines have yet to use the Boeing 737 Max, but budget airline carrier Vietjet Air has ordered 200 aircraft of the kind, with the first ones expected to arrive in Vietnam in October.

A representative of Vietjet Air said the airline is keeping a close watch on the situation relating to this type of aircraft. 

Ethiopian Airlines’ flight ET 302 on a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed on March 10 near Bishoftu town, 62 km southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, with 149 passengers and 8 crew members aboard, who were all confirmed dead. –VNA