EU bans all Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights from its airspace – Norwegian and Tui impacted
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The UK Civil Aviation Authority banned the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from operating in or over UK airspace on Tuesday afternoon. In the evening, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency extended the ban to the whole of the EU.
This follows the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft on Sunday, which was the second MAX 8 crash in five months. There are currently 350 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft in service globally.
This follows existing bans in Singapore, China, Malaysia, Ethiopia and Australia. Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland and France have also banned the aircraft on Tuesday before the full EU ban was announced.
The two main airlines impacted will be Norwegian and Tui. Tui appears to have received 11 x 737 MAX 8 out of a total order of 54, although only five appear to be in service in the UK at present. Norwegian has 18 in service out of a total order of 110.
There will be other carriers impacted too – a Turkish Airlines plane was reported to have been made to turn back on the way to the UK – but most airlines will be able to switch their UK services to a different aircraft type.
Air Canada has also cancelled a number of services from Canada to the UK over the next few days.
Other airlines which operate short-haul flights to the UK and which own MAX 8 aircraft include Icelandair, Air Italy and LOT Polish.
British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 do not own any of the aircraft although Ryanair has 135 on order. BA’s South African franchise, Comair, has one MAX 8 in British Airways livery which has been grounded.
The aircraft is still deemed airworthy by the US Federal Aviation Administration, with Southwest Airlines being the largest operator. The US is now looking like an outlier, however.
You can read the CAA statement on its website here. The EASA statement is here.
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (July 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
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Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
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There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card
30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express Credit Card
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
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Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
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Capital on Tap Pro Visa
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There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
The American Express Business Platinum Card
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The American Express Business Gold Card
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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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