Donald Trump issues 'emergency order' grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 planes in US

The US has issued an "emergency order" grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft following the plane crash in Ethiopia.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) held urgent meetings on Wednesday on the issue after Canada became the latest major country to ground the planes after two fatal crashes since October. Both involved the Max 8 model.

The FAA notified airlines minutes before the announcement was made.

"The agency made this decision as a result of the data gathering process and new evidence collected at the site and analysed today," the FAA said in a statement, shortly after US president Donald Trump announced the planes would be grounded.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 that crashed shortly after take-off on Sunday
AP

"This evidence, together with newly refined satellite data available to FAA this morning, led to this decision."

Boeing also said on Wednesday it supports the temporary grounding of 737 Max operations.

An Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa on Sunday killing 157 people. At least nine British national were among the victims.

Ethiopian Airlines plane crash

1/23

Last October a Lion Air plane crashed in Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.

US aviations chiefs had faced intense pressure to ground the jets.

America and Canada were left as the only nations where substantial fleets of the model were still allowed to fly after Hong Kong, Egypt, Vietnam, New Zealand, Lebanon and Thailand joined the worldwide ban, bringing the total to more than 50.

Hong Kong’s civil aviation department said it would suspend the operation of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft “into, out of and over” its territory from 10am on Wednesday.

Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority and the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency, which covers 32 countries, both said on Tuesday they would stop the planes using their airspace.

Other countries that have temporarily banned them include China, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia. Norwegian Air Shuttles said it will be seeking compensation from Boeing after the Oslo-based low-cost carrier grounded its fleet of 737 Max 8s.