North Texas-based airlines say they are monitoring the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from the country's capital Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.
In a statement to NBC 5, Boeing said it would send a technical team to the crash site to help uncover what caused the 737 MAX 8 aircraft to crash.
"There's a lot of people out there that don't want to fly this airplane," said Denny Kelly, a retired pilot, flight instructor and aviation expert. "It's a shame because it's a good airplane."
Fort Worth-based American Airlines and Dallas-based Southwest officials sent their condolences to the families and friends of those who were on Ethiopian Airlines flight 302.
Both airlines have Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in their fleets.
AA said it follows investigations into all aircraft accidents and would continue to make safety its first priority for customers and team members. An AA spokesman said there are 24 MAX 8 aircraft in the American Airlines fleet and all were in operation Monday.
Southwest said all 34 of its MAX 8 aircraft also remain in operation, and the airline remains "confident in the safety and airworthiness of our entire fleet of more than 750 Boeing 737 aircraft, and we don't have any changes planned to 737 MAX operations," a statement read.
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"It's really critical when you ground an airplane," said Kelly, who doesn't think American-based carriers should ground the planes — yet. "Until they know what happened to this airplane for sure, no. But if it comes up that this MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) caused an accident again, absolutely!"
Read the full statement from American Airlines below.
"American Airlines extends our condolences to the families and friends of those on board Ethiopian Airlines flight 302. At this time there are no facts on the cause of the accident other than news reports. Our Flight, Flight Service, Tech Ops and Safety teams, along with the Allied Pilots Association (APA) and Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), will closely monitor the investigation in Ethiopia, which is our standard protocol for any aircraft accident.
American continues to collaborate with the FAA and other regulatory authorities, as the safety of our team members and customers is our number one priority. We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry."
Read the full statement from Southwest Airlines below.
Our heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the passengers and Employees on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. As Southwest operates a fleet of 34 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, we have been in contact with Boeing and will continue to stay close to the investigation as it progresses. We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our entire fleet of more than 750 Boeing 737 aircraft, and we don’t have any changes planned to 737 MAX operations.
Chicago-based Boeing's stock plunged 8 percent Monday morning as aviation authorities in China, Indonesia and Ethiopia ordered airlines to ground their Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes.
Click here to read more from our media partners at The Dallas Morning News to see how you can tell if you are on a 737 Max.
NBC 5's Noelle Walker contributed to this report.
