South Africa's Comair takes Boeing 737 MAX off schedules after Ethiopia crash

South African airline Comair Ltd said on Monday it would remove Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from its schedule, after an Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet bound for Nairobi crashed minutes after take-off. The airline, which has ordered eight 737 MAX 8 jets but has only received one so far, said it had decided temporarily not to schedule flights by 737 MAX aircraft while it consults with other operators, Boeing and technical experts.

It added, however, that it was confident in the inherent safety of the aircraft. "Comair has decided to remove its 737 MAX from its flight schedule, although neither regulatory authorities nor the manufacturer has required it to do so," Wrenelle Stander, executive director of Comair's airline division, said.