In the meantime , all Comets were to be grounded until the turbine modifications had been carried out . '' The New York Times '' reported on 12 January that BOAC had temporarily withdrawn all of their de Havilland Comet jet airliners from service , as a result of the crash , and that the two French airlines that used the Comet — Air France and Union Aero Maritime des Transports — had also suspended their Comet services . BOAC had confirmed that their Comet routes would be flown with alternative aircraft to minimise the disruption to the service schedule . The airline emphasized that the planes had not been officially grounded by the British government , but that the action was being taken as " a measure of prudence to enable a minute and unhurried technical examination of every aircraft in the Comet fleet to be carried out at maintenance headquarters at London airport . " While the official investigation efforts began , BOAC were determined to return their Comets to passenger service as soon as possible , and succeeded in doing so on 23 March , just ten weeks after the crash . BOAC 's chairman commented on television , " We obviously would n't be flying the Comet with passengers if we were n't satisfied conditions were suitable . " However , a second BOAC de Havilland Comet , registered G-ALYY , was lost on 8 April 1954 : a charter flight , operating as South African Airways Flight 201 , departed from Rome bound for Egypt with fourteen passengers and seven crew on board ; thirty-three minutes into the flight the pilot reported on course flying at 10,000 metres , then all contact was lost
South African Airways Flight 201
South African Airways Flight 201
BOAC Flight 781