South Korea bans B737 Max 8 in its airspace for 3 months

South Korea’s government said Friday that all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircrafts will be banned from passing the country’s airspace for safety issues until June 15, in the wake of a recent plane crash in Ethiopia which killed all passengers on board.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport released a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to alert pilots and air carriers on its decision to forbid B737 planes from flying in and out the country for the next three months.

The measure came a day after the country’s full-service flagship carrier Korean Air and budget airline T’way joined a growing list of airlines Wednesday in grounding the Boeing 737 model. The two airlines were to receive new B737 Max 8 planes later this year.

Eastar Jet, the only carrier here that currently operates 737 Max 8 planes, said it banned the operation of two jets on Tuesday.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)