Ethiopian Airlines has hit back at a US-based newspaper, Washington Post, for stating that the pilot of the ill-fated flight had not practiced on a new simulator for the Boeing 737 MAX 8 that killed 157 people, among them 36 Kenyans.
On its Twitter page, the airline termed the reports as baseless and factually incorrect.
"Ethiopian airline strongly refutes all the baseless and the factually incorrect allegations written by the Washington Post on March 21, 2019" part of the statement read.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the pilots had been well briefed on the Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by the FAA following the Lion Air accident.
"The airline has seven full simulators (Q-400, B-737NG, B-737MAX, B-767, B-787, B-777 and A-350) to train its pilots and other airlines' pilots," it added.
Reports had indicated that Yared Getachew, the 29-year-old captain, was due for refresher training at the end of March.
The airline added that although the cause of the accident is yet to be known by the international investigation, the world knows that the B-737 airplanes have been grounded.
"About 380 B-737 MAX airplanes are grounded all over the world including the USA," added the airlines.
On Thursday, the airlines' CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam stated that all pilots had completed the training meant to help them shift from an older model to the newer 737 Max 8.
While holding prayers for the young pilot whose demise was untimely, his family described him as a man who possessed a ferocious ambition.
He had worked in the aviation industry for more than 10 years and climbed through the corporate ladder since his years as a cadet to sit among the senior captains.
“Yared’s brilliance and huge ambitions was clearly shown by the fact that at 29, he had already grown to the rank of senior captain.” Zainab Daham, a cousin had stated.
