Comair assures that safety is its ‘foremost priority’ following Ethiopian Boeing disaster

South African private-sector airline group Comair on Monday issued condolences and reassurances regarding the crash on Sunday of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 single-aisle airliner. All 157 passengers and crew perished when the aircraft, only a few months old, plummeted to the ground near Bishoftu, some 60 km south-east of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

This was the second crash of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 within five months, the previous one, involving an aircraft of Indonesian carrier Lion Air, cost 189 lives. The 737 MAX 8 only entered revenue service during 2017.

Comair has ordered eight 737 MAX 8s, of which the first one was delivered late last month and the second will be delivered later this month. The airline pointed out that, as of last November, 330 737 MAX 8s were in operation around the world.