Consumer Reports is calling on airlines and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ground certain Boeing jets until a safety investigation is complete.
The call comes following a deadly crash, involving a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia, where 157 people were killed.
So far Britain, Germany, France, China and other countries have stopped the planes from flying.
Tuesday evening, the FAA said it hasn’t found any issues with the jetliner that would justify a grounding order, according to USA Today.
Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole learned two airlines flying out of Jacksonville International Airport are using the Boeing 737 Max 8 model: Southwest and American.
Southwest Airlines has 34 in their fleet. American Airlines said they have 24 of the aircraft.
While Southwest Airlines said they couldn’t pinpoint how many of the 737s Max 8s fly in and out of Jacksonville because their fleet types are interchangeable, American said none of their 737s Max 8s fly in or out of JIA.
Several countries have grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 following the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash. #RIGHTNOW on CBS47 @ActionNewsJax , I'll tell you how many are flying out of JIA and what an aviation expert says about what else could be causing the crashes: pic.twitter.com/542FyJVLw1
— Courtney Cole (@CourtneyANJax) March 12, 2019
The Boeing 737 Max is the fastest selling airplane in Boeing history.
"I think overwhelmingly, for cosmetic and PR reasons, you'll see it grounded here before too long,” said Capt. Wayne Ziskal is an Associate Professor of Aviation at Jacksonville University.
He told Cole he thinks the reason for these crashes primarily comes from lack of training.
"We have strict rules about pilot training and qualifications to get into these airlines. They don't have that overseas,” Ziskal said.
Ziskal told Action News Jax one of the officers on the Ethiopian airline only had 600 hours of flying time under their belt.
He went on to tell Cole, domestically, students are required to have at least 1,000-1,500 hours before they can even interview, regionally.
"I'd go fly on a 737 Max 8 right now. I would have no problems with that—for an American airline, I would do that. Overseas, not so sure,” Ziskal said.
You don't have to wait until you arrive at the airport to learn what type of plane you'll be boarding.
The spokesperson at JIA told Action News Jax, it's as easy as checking your flight reservation.
You can also visit sites like Flight Aware.
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