Singapore will ground all of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes, starting from 2pm on Tuesday, Mar. 12, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced in a statement on Tuesday morning.

The decision comes in the wake of an Ethiopian Airlines crash on Mar. 10, which involved a Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane that was en route from Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya.

CAAS noted that the incident had taken place less than five months after a Lion Air plane of the same model crashed into the Java Sea in Indonesia on Oct. 29, 2018.

SilkAir most affected

CAAS added that Singaporean regional carrier SilkAir, which operates six of these aircraft, will be affected by the suspension.

SilkAir is the regional wing of Singapore Airlines (SIA). It currently has another 31 of the planes on firm order.

Destinations that SilkAir operates the Boeing 737 MAX flights to include Kuala Lumpur, Phuket and Chongqing.

CAAS said it has been satisfied with the safety measures that SilkAir has been taking on its flights involving the Boeing 737 MAX planes thus far

These are the other airlines operating the aircraft to Singapore:

• China Southern Airlines
• Garuda Indonesia
• Shandong Airlines
• Thai Lion Air

CAAS added that it will work with Changi Airport to minimise the impact to passengers, and review the risk involved in continued operations of the aircraft in and out of Singapore.

It said it is also in contact with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and other aviation regulators, as well as Boeing, and that the temporary suspension would be subjected to review.

In a Facebook post, Acting Transport Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has since confirmed that operations of all Boeing 737 MAX planes in and out of Singapore will be suspended.

China and Indonesia have already grounded their fleet

According to the BBC, China and Indonesia have grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes that are in use.

The Chinese airlines affected are:

• Air China
• China Eastern Airlines
• Kunming Airlines, and
• China Southern Airlines.

More than 90 Boeing 737 Max 8 models are in use in mainland China, according to the report.

Meanwhile, affected airlines for Indonesia include Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air, with one plane operated by the former, and 10 operated by the latter.

The Indonesia Transport Ministry also reportedly said the planes would be grounded until they have been cleared by a safety regulator.

Here is CAAS's statement in full:

"The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is temporarily suspending operation of all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore in light of two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in less than five months. The suspension will take effect from 1400hrs, 12 March 2019.

SilkAir, which operates six Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, will be affected by the temporary suspension. The other airlines currently operating Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Singapore are China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air. CAAS is working with Changi Airport Group and the affected airlines to minimise any impact to travelling passengers.

CAAS has been in regular contact with SilkAir on its MAX operations since last year, and has been satisfied that it has been taking appropriate measures to comply with the necessary safety requirements.

During the temporary suspension, CAAS will gather more information and review the safety risk associated with the continued operation of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore. CAAS is closely monitoring the situation and is in close communication with the US Federal Aviation Administration and other aviation regulators, as well as Boeing.

The suspension will be reviewed as relevant safety information becomes available."

Top photo via Getty Images