FILE PHOTO: A 737 Max aircraft is pictured at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, U.S., March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo

BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan airline AZAL has canceled a $1 billion contract with Boeing to purchase 10 737 MAX jets, a spokesman said on Monday, following the fatal crashes involving the aircraft in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

“AZAL refused to buy 10 aircraft from Boeing due to safety reasons,” Pasha Kesaminsy told Reuters.

Boeing’s top-selling aircraft, the 737 MAX, has been grounded worldwide since the March 10 disaster, which killed 157 people and came just five months after a Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 in a plane of the same model.

Many countries barred 737 Max jets from taking off or landing at local airports.