Black boxes show 'clear similarities' between Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes

Analysis of the flight recorder from the doomed Ethiopian Airlines shows clear similarities with the Lion Air crash, an Ethiopian government minister says.

The data from the Ethiopian Airlines flight recorder shows similarities with the Lion Air crash. (AAP)

Preliminary data retrieved from the flight data recorder of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed shows "a clear similarity" with an earlier crash in Indonesia, Ethiopia's transport minister says.

Dagmawit Moges told reporters the Ethiopian government intends to release detailed findings within one month.

"The black box has been found in a good condition that enabled us to extract almost all the data inside," she told reporters on Sunday evening.

Boeing's 737 Max 8 aircraft faces scrutiny after the Ethiopian Airlines crash killed all 157 aboard. (AAP) Source: AAP

Officials say 157 people from 35 different countries were killed when the Nairobi-bound plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

The United States and other countries have now grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8s.

US-based Boeing now faces the challenge of proving the jets are safe to fly amid suspicions that faulty sensors and software contributed to the two crashes that killed 346 people in less than six months.

The US Federal Aviation Administration already has said satellite-based tracking data showed that the movements of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were similar to those of Lion Air Flight 610, which crashed off Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 Grounded by Hong Kong Civil Aviation AAP Source: AAP

The planes in both crashes flew with erratic altitude changes that could indicate the pilots struggled to control the aircraft. Shortly after their takeoffs, both crews tried to return to the airports but crashed.