Vietnam yet to close airspace to Boeing MAX planes after cabin emergency

Vietnam has not suspended Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliners from flying over its airspace as it has yet to receive a notice from the U.S. of ceasing the use of such aircraft following a cabin panel blowout last week, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). The CAAV has therefore yet to temporarily bar such aircraft from flying through Vietnamese airspace, the aviation chief said. To date, no Vietnamese airline has operated Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliners, Thang affirmed. After the mentioned incident, the FAA temporarily grounded 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliners on Saturday for safety checks, whereas the agency did not specify the precise inspection requirements or provide detailed information on inspection intervals. Vietnam once closed its airspace to Boeing’s aircraft four years ago after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, bound for Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, crashed on March 10, 2019, killing 149 passengers and eight crew members.