CAAB restricts import of Boeing 737 Max-8 as precaution

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has deferred the import of Boeing 737 Max-8, reports bdnews24.com.

The authority has adopted the preventive measure following the fatal crashes of two 737 Max-8 planes in five months.

No airlines in Bangladesh have the modern plane in their fleet as of now, but only US-Bangla Airlines signed a recent contract to rent a 737 Max-8 and operate flights.

The airlines in Bangladesh will not be allowed to buy or take lease of that model until the probe reports on the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes are published, said CAAB.

"No aircraft of Boeing 737 Max-8 can be imported until further announcement," CAAB Director Chowdhury M Ziaul Kabir told the news agency on Wednesday.

In a press briefing on February 19, the US-Bangla Airlines announced a plan to bring a Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft for the first time in the country.

The company has no plan to scrap the deal as of now, Kamrul Islam, public relations officer of the US-Bangla Airlines, said.