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Royal Air Maroc grounds Boeing 737 MAX 8 after Ethiopian crash

FILE PHOTO: A 787 Dreamliner jet painted in Royal Air Maroc livery, sits idle on the tarmac parking at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, January 17, 2013. REUTERS/Anthony Bolante

Rabat (Reuters) - Morocco’s national carrier Royal Air Maroc has temporarily grounded a Boeing 737 MAX 8 following the fatal crash of the same type of aircraft in Ethiopia, an official said on Monday.

An Ethiopian Airlines MAX 8 crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Royal Air Maroc on Sunday grounded its only MAX 8 in use and will not fly it until Boeing completes investigations into the aircraft type.

The grounding would not affect the airline’s operations, the official said, adding that it has a second MAX 8 which is not yet in service.

Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi, writing by Alexander Cornwell, editing by Susan Fenton

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