ROME, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) announced it would ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes starting from Tuesday, after a crash of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft killed 157 people on Sunday.
The prohibition for such aircraft would enter into force by 9 p.m. local time.
"The ENAC has ordered the closure of Italian airspace to all commercial flights operated with this type of aircraft for precautionary reasons," the authority said in a statement.
It explained the decision was taken due to "the persisting lack of definite information" regarding the dynamics of the Ethiopian Airlines accident on Sunday, and of a similar crash occurred in Indonesia in October 2018 that killed all 189 people on board.
"In line with what is currently underway in Europe, aircraft of this model can no longer operate to and from all national airports until further notice," the ENAC added.
"ENAC will keep following how the situation evolves, in coordination with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)."
The Ethiopian Airlines confirmed 157 people lost their life in the accident of the Flight ET302 flying from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, which crashed soon after take-off from the Ethiopian capital on Sunday. Eight Italians were among the victims.
Italy's decision to ground the Boeing 737 Max aircraft followed that taken by aviation authorities in several European countries like France, Germany, UK, and The Netherlands.
According to ENAC, the only national company operating Boeing 737 Max was Air Italy, which is based in the Sardinia region and flights from Milan's Malpensa Airport.
