Ethiopian airlines said he ‘believes’ in Boeing despite plane crash

Boeing Co will brief more than 200 global airline pilots, technical leaders and regulators this week on software and training updates for its 737 MAX aircraft, as Ethiopian Airlines expressed confidence in the planemaker despite a recent crash.

The carrier will work with Boeing and other airlines to make air travel safer, its chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, said, after regulators this month grounded the worldwide fleet of the aircraft following a crash that killed 157 people.

"Despite the tragedy, Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines will continue to be linked well into the future," he said in a statement on Monday. "Ethiopian Airlines believes in Boeing. They have been a partner of ours for many years."

It was the second disaster for the 737 MAX 8 since the October crash of an Indonesian Lion Air Jet that killed all 189 passengers and crew. Aviation regulators responded by grounding the model around the world.

Ethiopia's transport minister has said "clear similarities" exist between the two crashes based on an analysis of black box data, without giving further details.

However, many questions on the 737 MAX "remain without answers", Tewolde added, and a spokesman for the carrier said it had no "immediate plans" to attend the Boeing session, without giving further details.

Wednesday's meeting is a sign that Boeing is nearing completion on a planned software patch required to return the grounded fleet to commercial service, though it will still need approval from regulators.

The session in Renton, Washington is part of an effort to reach all current, and many futures, 737 MAX operators and their home regulators to discuss software and training updates to the jet, Boeing said in a statement.

The 737 MAX is Boeing's best-selling plane, with orders worth more than $500 billion at list prices.

Tewolde called for the 737 MAX 8's grounding after the crash, but in the Monday statement struck a conciliatory tone towards the American plane manufacturer whose models make up the majority of the Ethiopian fleet.

"Despite the tragedy, Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines will continue to be linked well into the future," he said.

Garuda, which has only one 737 MAX, had been reconsidering its order before the Ethiopian crash, as had fellow Indonesian carrier Lion Air, which suffered a crash in October that killed all 189 aboard.