Boeing to suspend 737 Max production next month

WASHINGTON

U.S. aviation company Boeing said Monday it will suspend production of its 737 Max jetliner as of January.

"This decision is driven by a number of factors, including the extension of certification into 2020, the uncertainty about the timing and conditions of return to service and global training approvals, and the importance of ensuring that we can prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft," the company said in a statement.

"We will continue to assess our progress towards return to service milestones and make determinations about resuming production and deliveries accordingly.”

The company said the affected employees will continue 737-related work or be temporarily assigned to other teams in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

Boeing's top-selling aircraft model was grounded worldwide after two crashes which killed hundreds of people and cost the company billions of dollars.

On March 10, Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET-302 crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in Addis Ababa, killing all 157 on board.

The model was also involved in an October 2018 crash outside of Jakarta, Indonesia. All 189 people on board Lion Air Flight JT610 were killed.

Many countries grounded the model, including the U.S., Turkey, Russia and Iran.