Indonesia temporarily grounds Boeing 737-9 Max

Indonesia grounded three Boeing 737 Max 9 jets as of Jan. 6 until further notice following the Alaska Air accident, the transport ministry said in a statement Monday.

Discount carrier Lion Air operates the country’s three Max 9 jets, M. Kristi Endah Murni, director general of air transportation said in the statement. The carrier’s 737 Max 8 was involved in the first of two fatal crashes that led to the global grounding of the 737 Max fleet back in March 2019.

Lion Air’s aircraft do not have plugs on their emergency exits as the carrier operates them in a high-density configuration and the US FAA’s grounding wouldn’t ordinarily apply.