Turkey’s national carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has grounded all commercial flights by its Boeing 737 MAX models as of March 13 until uncertainty over their safety is resolved, the company’s CEO Bilal Ekşi said on Tuesday.
Ekşi said the decision was taken after consultations with Turkey’s General Directorate of Civil Aviation.
A spokesman confirmed reports that two Turkish Airlines 737 Max aircraft had been turned back from the United Kingdom as restrictions there went into effect.
Yahya Üstün, THY’s vice president of media relations, said the flights of 12 737 MAX aircraft would be suspended.
Several nations, including Britain, Singapore and Australia, have suspended the Boeing aircraft after a crash in Ethiopia on Sunday killed 157 people in the second such disaster for the model in the past few months.