Sulaimani airport enforces decision to ground Boeing 737 after Ethiopia crash

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani International Airport on Thursday confirmed it had grounded the US Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from entering or traveling from its airspace.

A statement from the airport’s administration said the decision to block the passage of the Boeing 737 MAX was made after the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority informed it to implement the ban.

Kurdistan 24 contacted Erbil International Airport to clarify if it had implemented the decision as well but did not receive an answer as of publishing this report.

On Wednesday, Iraq joined the growing list of nations who have banned the US planemaker from entering or leaving its airspace.

The decision to ban the plane comes after the aircraft was involved in a deadly crash in Ethiopia on Sunday. The accident killed all 157 people on board.

The 737 MAX was involved in another crash five months prior in Indonesia where 189 people on board were killed.

Many countries, including the United States, Canada, China, Australia, Germany, France, and Britain have grounded the plane.

According to Ethiopian Airlines, the pilot had reported “a flight-control problem” moments before the crash, ruling out any possibility of an external cause for the malfunction.

Ethiopian Airlines on Wednesday sent two black boxes from the fallen Boeing 737 MAX to Paris, France, for expert analysis, The Globe and Mail reported, a decision in defiance of US requests.