SUVA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Fiji Airways, the national carrier of the South Pacific island country, confirmed on Sunday that it has stopped the service of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft which was leased from Miami Air last month.

The airline's decision came after a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Miami Air slid off the runway into a river after landing in Jacksonville, the U.S state of Florida during a thunderstorm on Friday night.

A Fiji Airways spokesperson said that they are aware of the accident in Florida and is monitoring the situation closely.

They will not operate the aircraft until they know more about the Florida accident, the spokesperson added.

The airline stressed that the safety of their passengers is and always will be their top priority.

In April, Fiji Airways leased a Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Miami Air to cover some of its schedules due to the temporary grounding of its two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in March this year after an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane crashed and killed 157 onboard.