Biman puts Boeing 737 planes under ‘surveillance’ after China jet crash

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has placed its fleet of Boeing 737 planes under "surveillance" after a jet crashed in China.

The national flag carrier said they are monitoring flight procedures, air worthiness and operations of Boeing 737.

On Monday, a flight of China Eastern Airlines -- Boeing 737-800 -- crashed in southern China with 132 people onboard. Rescue teams are working at the site but it is not yet known what caused the incident.

China Eastern Airlines has grounded all its 737-800s. India's aviation regulator has already placed the country's fleet of Boeing 737 planes under "enhanced surveillance" after the deadly jet crash in China.

Asked whether Biman is placing its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft under "enhanced surveillance" like different other countries, Biman Managing Director and CEO Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal told The Daily Star "Like different countries, we have also placed our fleet of Boeing 737 aircrafts under surveillance after a jet crashed in China".

"Flight safety is a serious issue and we are closely monitoring the situation," he also said.

Biman has a fleet of 21 aircrafts -- four Boeing 777-300 ERs, four Boeing 787-8s, two Boeing 787-9s, six Boeing 737-800, and five De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Q400 at present.

US plane-maker Boeing said it was assisting investigations in China and communicating with the US National Transportation Safety Board.

Boeing's chief executive David Calhoun said: "We have been in close communication with our customer and regulatory authorities since the accident, and have offered the full support of our technical experts to the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China," reports BBC.

There are 4,208 Boeing 737-800 passenger planes in service, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, with over a quarter of them based in China.

Boeing 737-800s, which were first produced in the late 1990s, have a strong safety record. The plane involved in Monday's incident was less than seven years old.