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PICTURED: The crash site of an Ethiopian Airlines plane near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

AUSTRALIA HAS suspended Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes from flying to and from airports in the country following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

Just six minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, a Boeing 737 Max 8 travelling to Nairobi, Kenya, was involved in a fatal crash.

All 157 people on board the flight died. People from more than 30 countries, including passengers from Kenya, Canada, Ethiopia and Britain, were on the plane.

Since the fatal air incident, a number of countries have chosen to suspend flights operated by the same plane.

China, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea are all among those who have temporarily suspended the planes from flying.

Concerns have been raised over the popular aircraft after the model has been at the centre of two major crashes in less than five months.

A spokesperson from TUI, the British travel operator, suggested that it would not be grounding flights, Sky News reported.

Investigators hope to obtain more information about what happened after black box recorders were recovered from the Ethiopian Airlines crash site.

Among those killed in the crash was Kenyan-British Joseph Waithaka.

The 55-year-old was described by his family as a “generous” man.

His son, Ben Kuria, told Hull Live: "He came to my flat in London on Saturday night on his way to Heathrow from Hull and we had a meal together.

"He called me later to say he had boarded his flight at 8pm and I said 'see you later'.

"When I woke up on Sunday I saw a message on my news app about the airline crash.”

In a statement, Boeing said: “Boeing is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines flight 301, a 737 MAX 8 airplane [sic]. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team. A Boeing technical team will be travelling to the crash site to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Ethiopia Accident Investigation Bureau and US National Transportation Safety Board.”

Out of respect of the victims and those affected by the crash, Boeing has postponed its 777X global debut activities and social media activity.

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