ETHIOPIAN Airlines said yesterday it would send the black boxes from its crashed Boeing 737 MAX abroad for expert analysis, and a Norwegian airline sought compensation after it grounded its models in the wake of the disaster.

Two-thirds of the 737 MAX aircraft have been grounded globally, and Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said the world’s biggest planemaker should ground all such craft until their safety is established.

Sunday’s still unexplained crash of the passenger jet, just after take-off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, killed 157 people and followed another disaster involving a 737 MAX in Indonesia five months ago that killed 189 people.

The twin crashes have spooked the airline industry and heaped pressure on Boeing, whose shares have plunged.

Multiple nations, including the European Union, have suspended the 737 MAX, leading to the grounding of about two-thirds of the 371 jets of that make in operation around the world.

However, with no evidence of links between the Ethiopia and Indonesia crashes, the United States has bucked the backlash and allowed 737 MAX planes to continue operating.

Boeing, the world’s biggest planemaker, said it retains “full confidence” in the model.

(SD-Agencies)