Ethiopian aircrush

The jets were forced to make the return after UK banned Boeing 737 MAX jets following the Ethiopian Airlines disaster

• The decision was reportedly taken by the Turkish Airlines to avoid the jets being grounded in Britain
  Days after the United Kingdom (UK) joined countries that have placed a ban on Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes following the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash disaster, two Boeing jets belonging to Turkish Airlines heading for Britain were forced to turn around mid-air.
  The aircraft were from Istanbul Airport en-route to Birmingham and Gatwick.
  READ ALSO: Heartbreaking photos from the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302
  The ban came following crash of Ethiopian Airlines' aircraft B-737-800MAX which went down with 157 people onboard. Photo: Ethiopian Airlines. Photo: Ethiopian.
  READ ALSO: Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: Pilot's family holds send-off prayers, body still missing
  According to the UK's Independent, the aircraft had taken off ahead of the Civil Aviation Authority ban on the MAX variant in Britain's airspace which was announced shortly after 1pm UK time.
  The Birmingham flight operating as TK1969 was approaching Frankfurt in western Germany about three hours into the four hour flight.
  At the same time, the Gatwick flight TK1997 had covered just over half the journey and was over the Czech Republic when the order came that it turns back.
  Forced to turn mid-air, both aircraft are expected to arrive back in Istanbul at around 6.30pm local time (4.30pm GMT).
  Passengers will be reportedly re-booked on alternative flights from Istanbul.
  The Independent reported the decision to return mid-air was taken by Turkish Airlines, adding that the aircraft may have been allowed to land but could have been grounded in the UK – a situation the airline probably did not want to happen.
  READ ALSO: Marubani, abiria wakataa kusafiri kwa ndege aina ya Boeing 737-8 Max
  Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported
  that all 157 passengers and crew aboard an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 died when it crashed shortly after take-off to Nairobi on Sunday, March 10.
  It was the second fatal accident within six months.
  A Lion Air 737 MAX 8 crashed shortly after take off from Jakarta airport in October 2018 leading to loss of 189 lives.