The investigation of the accident is well underway, and we will learn the truth. At this time, I do not want to speculate as to the cause, said Tewolde GebreMariam Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.
Many questions on the B-737 MAX airplane remain without answers, and I pledge full and transparent cooperation to discover what went wrong, he said in the statement released today.
As it is well known in our global aviation industry, the differences training between the B-737 NG and the B-737 MAX recommended by Boeing and approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration called for computer-based training, but we went beyond that.
After the Lion Air accident in October, our pilots who fly the Boeing 737 Max 8 were fully trained on the service bulletin issued by Boeing and the Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by the USA FAA.
Among the seven Full Flight Simulators that we own and operate, two of them are for B-737 NG and the B-737 MAX. We are the only airline in Africa among the very few in the world with the B-737 MAX full flight Simulator. Contrary to some media reports, our pilots who fly the new model were trained on all appropriate simulators, Tewolde remarked.
The crews were well trained on this aircraft, he stressed.
Immediately after the crash and owing to the similarity with the Lion Air Accident, we grounded our fleet of Max 8s. Within days, the plane had been grounded around the world. I fully support this. Until we have answers, putting one more life at risk is too much.
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