WASHINGTON (1010 WINS) -- All Boeing Max 7 and 8 aircraft are grounded, effective immediately, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday afternoon. He described the move as an "emergency order."
The president said the decision was "fact-based ... Very much working with other countries and airlines."
He added that the safety of the American people is of "paramount concern."
Trump said any plane currently in the air at the time of his announcement will go to its destination and then be grounded.
Trump says pilots and airlines have been notified.
The move comes in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday and the Lion Air accident in October that together killed 346 people.
The U.S.'s move follows a similar move by Canada earlier in the day. Many other nations in the world had already barred the Boeing 737 Max 8 from its airspace, but until now, the Federal Aviation Administration had been saying that it didn't have any data to show the jets are unsafe.
Airlines in the U.S. that operate the Boeing Max 7 and 8 are American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
American Airlines said in a statement, "Earlier today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed us that based on new information, they are grounding the United States Boeing 737 MAX fleet out of an abundance of caution. American Airlines has 24 aircraft affected by this directive. We appreciate the FAA's partnership, and will continue to work closely with them, the Department of Transportation, National Transportation Safety Board and other regulatory authorities, as well as our aircraft and engine manufacturers. Our teams will be working to rebook customers as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience."
Boeing's CEO had asked Trump not to ground the aircraft during a phone call earlier this week.
Boeing released a lengthy statement following Trump's announcement:
"Boeing continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX. However, after consultation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and aviation authorities and its customers around the world, Boeing has determined -- out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft's safety -- to recommend to the FAA the temporary suspension of operations of the entire global fleet of 371 737 MAX aircraft. "
"On behalf of the entire Boeing team, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in these two tragic accidents," said Dennis Muilenburg, president, CEO, Chairman of The Boeing Company.
"We are supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution. Safety is a core value at Boeing for as long as we have been building airplanes; and it always will be. There is no greater priority for our company and our industry. We are doing everything we can to understand the cause of the accidents in partnership with the investigators, deploy safety enhancements and help ensure this does not happen again."
Boeing makes this recommendation and supports the decision by the FAA.
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