Smartwings grounds its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

The Czech airline Smartwings has announced it is complying with the directive of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on grounding the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft type.

The company currently operates 7 Boeing 737 MAX. A number of night flights had to be redirected to Ankara and Tunis as a result. The company has a fleet of 40 other planes at its disposal.

EASA issued the directive on Tuesday after a number of countries and airlines independently grounded their planes in reaction to the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight which was operated by this aircraft type. It was already the second deadly accident of the 737 MAX, raising serious questions over its safety.