All Nippon Airways Co. is not considering whether to suspend an order for 30 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, the same airplane model involved in a deadly crash this week in Ethiopia, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
"We are hearing the accident is under investigation by the authorities, so at this point there is nothing new to announce, like suspending the order," said the spokesperson, who declined to provide a name.
The Japanese airline does not currently own the model, the spokesperson added.
Other than ANA, Japan Investment Adviser Co., a lease company, bought 10 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in 2017, according to Boeing's website. A Japan Investment Adviser spokesperson said it does not have plans to change the order.
Airlines and aviation authorities worldwide are scrambling to set out plans after Sunday's accident, the second involving a 737 Max 8 within six months. Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi plummeted into a field shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 people onboard.
In October, a Lion Air flight carrying 189 people in a 737 Max 8 crashed into the Java Sea after taking off from Jakarta. The cockpit data recorder indicated the jet's airspeed indicator had not functioned properly in prior flights.
Following the Ethiopian Airlines' crash, regulatory authorities in several economies, such as Singapore, Indonesia and China, have reportedly ordered the suspension of 737 Max 8 operations.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has not issued a new guidance. The aircraft manufacturer said in a statement that the model is "a safe airplane."
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