Oman and the United Arab Emirates barred flights by Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on Tuesday following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner, closing down two key markets for the airplane on the Arabian Peninsula.
The decision by Oman came first as the neighbouring United Arab Emirates initially just said it had joined US authorities and Boeing Co. "to investigate and collect data" to help solve what happened in Sunday's crash in Ethiopia that killed all 157 people on board. Late Tuesday, it announced Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft had been grounded.
Oman's Public Authority for Civil Aviation made the sultanate's announcement, without elaborating on its reasoning.
The state-owned Oman Air, which operates five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, said flights operated by those planes "will be suspended as soon as possible."