Ethiopian Airlines crash: Iraq bans Boeing 737 MAX plane from airspace

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) has announced barring all Boeing 737 MAX planes from flying across its airspace following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

A statement by the ICAA on Wednesday said that permissions for Boeing 737 MAX planes to use Iraqi airports or enter its airspace are halted starting from Wednesday until further notice, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The ICAA's flight safety department took the decision to ensure the safe use of this type of aircraft and to maintain safety in Iraqi airspace," the statement said.

The decision to ban Boeing 737 MAX was taken in several countries after the crash of a similar jetliner in Ethiopia that killed 157 people, while the circumstances appeared similar to those in the crash of a 737 MAX operated by Lion Air, an Indonesian carrier, last October in which 189 people were killed.

In both cases, the Boeing 737 MAX jets crashed just minutes after take-offs.