THE United States told airlines it was safe to fly 737 MAX 8 planes Monday as investigators found two black box recorders that will help piece together the final moments of an Ethiopian Airlines jet before it plunged to the ground Sunday.

Late on Monday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a “continued airworthiness notification” to assure operators of the plane that it was safe to fly. But it said it would mandate that American carriers install a software enhancement to the aircraft no later than next month, in response to last fall’s Lion Air crash.

It said it was collecting data on the crash and keeping in contact with international civil aviation authorities and would take immediate action if it identified any safety issues.

Singapore’s aviation authority has taken the strong move of suspending “all variants of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into and out of Singapore.”

The decision came as Aerolíneas Argentinas announced it was grounding its five Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes.

Airlines and jurisdictions that have suspended use of the 737 MAX 8 include: China, Ethiopian Airlines, Indonesia, Aeromexico, Cayman Airways, Comair, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Australia and Singapore.

Investigators in Ethiopia found two black box recorders early Monday that will help piece together the final moments of the plane before it plunged, trailing smoke and debris, and crashed killing 157 people.

(SD-Agencies)