Ethiopian Airlines has assured the public that the airline was determined to find the root cause of the unfortunate accident involving one of its aircraft earlier today.

Flight ET 302 operated by a brand new Boeing 737-MAX8, had this morning crashed shortly after takeoff en route to Nairobi from Addis Ababa.

In a press conference held at Ethiopian Airlines Headquarters this afternoon, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines who had traveled to the scene of the crash said,” It is too early to speculate the cause of the accident and further investigation will be carried out to find out the cause of the accident in collaboration with all stakeholders including the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and other international entities to maintain the international standard and information will be provided once the cause is identified. Ethiopian Airlines will provide all the necessary support to the families of the victims.”

According to the airline, a senior captain named Yared Getachew with a cumulative flight hour of more than 8000 and with a commendable performance was commanding the flight along with first officer Ahmed Nur Mohammod Nur who had a flight hour of 200.

A total of 157 people including 8 crew members and 149 passengers were on board the doomed flight. The victims were of 35 Nationalities.

The crashed B-737-800MAX airplane flew back to Addis from Johannesburg this morning to its yet another flight bound to Nairobi underwent a rigorous first check maintenance in February 04,2019.

Ethiopian Airlines Group expresses its profound sorrow and deepest condolences to the families of the victims and their loved ones on the tragic plane accident.

Ethiopian Airlines will release further information as soon as it is available. Updated information will also be on Ethiopian Airlines website at www.ethiopianairlines.com