Analysis of the data from the black boxes of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed showed 'clear similarities' with October's Lion Air crash, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Transport Ministry said. Both planes were Boeing 737 MAX 8s, and both crashed minutes after take-off after pilots reported flight control problems. Concern over the plane's safety caused aviation authorities worldwide to ground the model, wiping billions of dollars off Boeing's market value. "It was the same case with the Indonesian (Lion Air) one. There were clear similarities between the 2 crashes so far," the spokesman said. A preliminary report on the crash is to be released within 30 days, according to the transport minister. <br/>
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Across Ethiopia, Ethiopian Airlines has come to mean more than just a national carrier. The airline has become a symbol and a motor of Ethiopia’s ascent from one of the world’s poorest nations to a regional powerhouse. In the past 2 decades Ethiopian’s fleet has grown from a dozen planes to more than a hundred, turning the capital city into an aviation hub that connects Africa to Asia and North America. “For every Ethiopian, the airline is a reference point for what we’ve been able to achieve, and for what we are capable of achieving,” said one aviation-industry expert. The intertwined fates of carrier and country are now in sharp focus following Sunday’s deadly crash, raising the stakes for the airline to effectively manage the fallout of an accident that has prompted the grounding of all of Boeing ’s 737 MAX aircraft world-wide. <br/>
Air Canada and United Airlines Friday became the first major carriers in North America to warn of negative impacts on business due to the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX planes. Air Canada suspended its 2019 financial forecasts, saying it continued to adapt a contingency plan to address the current uncertainty surrounding the new jets. United Airlines said it would see an adverse effect on its operations if the jets remained grounded heading into the peak summer travel season. Countries around the world banned Boeing’s 737 MAX last week. Boeing suspended deliveries of its 737 MAX aircraft Thursday but continues to produce its single-aisle jets at full speed. Air Canada has said it operated 75 737 MAX flights daily. United Continental operates 14 737 MAX 9 aircraft that accounted for about 40 flights a day. <br/>
Two Canadian airlines dealing with the grounding of Boeing Max 8 jets say they have reassigned other planes to accommodate travellers returning home from March Break vacations. Both Air Canada and WestJet said Sunday they shifted planes to focus on routes taking travellers to and from vacation destinations like Mexico and the Caribbean. But the airlines also acknowledged that despite those efforts, the loss of the Boeing jets caused the cancellation of a number of domestic flights over the weekend, as well as delays on customer support lines. Air Canada did not say how many of its domestic flights had been cancelled but acknowledged “capacity challenges” on those routes. Air Canada said it was working to add capacity in these markets “within the constraints imposed by the 737 fleet grounding.” <br/>
Avianca has cancelled deliveries of 17 Airbus A320neo family aircraft from a 100-aircraft order signed in 2015, and rescheduled deliveries of another 35 jets. The fleet changes will reduce Avianca's fleet capital expenditure needs by more than US$350m over the next 3 years, says the carrier. Financial commitments from 2020 to 2022 will also reduce by more than $2.6b. The 35 rescheduled aircraft will now be delivered from 2026 to 2028, instead of 2020 to 2022. Prior to the orderbook changes, Avianca had 20 A319neos, 92 A320neos and 15 A321neos on order. Under an updated fleet plan, Avianca will receive 3 aircraft this year, down from 6 originally. It will take delivery of 6 aircraft (down from 20) in 2020, 4 (down from 23) in 2021, and 4 (down from 20) in 2022. <br/>