FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County's mayor wants to ground a fleet of Boeing aircraft after two fatal crashes in the last six months.
Mayor Mark Bogen said Wednesday he wants to ban all Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes from landing at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Recommended Videos
The jetliner has been involved in two fatal crashes -- a Lion Air flight that crashed in Indonesia in October, killing all 189 passengers and crew, and Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board.
"My interest is to protect the public until we can find the cause of these crashes and problems with the aircraft," Bogen said. "If we can't legally stop the aircraft from landing here in Fort Lauderdale, then I've asked the county attorney to amend our contracts with airlines flying the jet and I want warning signs placed at terminal gates so passengers will know they're boarding this type of aircraft."
More than 40 countries have banned the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in the aftermath of the crash in Ethiopia.
Southwest Airlines is the only commercial airline that currently flies the Boeing 737 MAX 8 out of Fort Lauderdale, but the Federal Aviation Administration said more than 370 of the planes are flying worldwide.
Bogen said he plans to place the proposal on next week's agenda for discussion.