Ethiopian Airlines has announced it will temporarily stop operating Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes as a “safety precaution” following a crash that killed all 157 people – and hours after China ordered its carriers to ground their fleets.

"Although we don't yet know the cause of the crash, we had to decide to ground the particular fleet as extra safety precaution," the airline said.

Accident Bulletin no. 5 Issued on March 11, 2019 at 07:08 AM Local Time pic.twitter.com/rwxa51Fgij — Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) March 11, 2019

The Ethiopian Airlines Group has four 737 MAX planes left in its fleet, and orders for an additional 25 placed with Boeing. The decision to ground the fleet until further notice came after Flight 302 crashed on Sunday morning, minutes after takeoff, killing everyone on board.

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Concerned by similarities between two fatal incidents involving Boeing’s flagship plane during takeoffs, China’s Civil Aviation Administration also placed a temporary ban on MAX flights. Prior to Sunday’s tragedy, a two-month-old jet belonging to Indonesian low-cost airline Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 on board. The cause of both crashes is still under investigation.

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