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Image posted, Reuters
Dozens of 737 Max planes were paralyzed after two accidents that killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
US authorities allowed the Boeing 737 Max planes to fly again, after stopping their flights in March 2019 after two of this model crashed and reports of technical problems were issued.
This decision, issued this Wednesday, marks a milestone in the business of the giant Boeing, which has suffered a severe crisis due to the tragedies that occurred and the investigations that have blamed the failure of the company and the accidents.
The company’s financial problems were also exacerbated this year by the outbreak of the Corona virus, which slowed air traffic around the world.
The current 737 MAX aircraft must be modified to fly again.
The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the agency responsible for overseeing aviation safety, said the permit would not allow the aircraft to “immediately return” to the sky.
Aside from upcoming changes to the aircraft’s software and wiring, pilots will also need retraining.
The Federal Aviation Authority said the design changes it requested “corrected the errors that caused fatal accidents to the aircraft.”
Steve Dickson, head of the Federal Aviation Authority, confirmed that he was “100 percent sure” of the plane’s safety.
He added: “We have done everything possible in our human capacity to ensure that this type of accident does not happen again.”
In addition to the aircraft improvements, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun emphasized that the company has strengthened its safety practices and culture since the aircraft disasters.
“We will never forget the lives we lost in the two tragic accidents, which led to the decision to suspend flight operations,” said Calhoun, who took office after the removal of former President Dennis Muilenberg last year.
He added: “These events and lessons we learned reshaped our company and focused our attention more on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.”
Disappointed families
Paul Ngorog lost his entire family in the Ethiopia plane crash and was angry at the plane returning to the flight.
While this decision was important to Boeing, it angered the families of the victims who died in the crashes.
Some expressed “utter disappointment” with the decision, while others said they did not trust US regulators or Boeing, which initially sought to hold pilots responsible for the accidents, and some families are still waging a legal battle against the company.
“Who will believe them? Not me,” said Paul Ngorog, whose wife, three children and his mother-in-law were killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
The United States is the first country to cancel the suspension of the 737 MAX, and European aviation officials said they are about to make a similar decision.
A spokesman for Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority said the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the body responsible for reissuing aviation certificates to European Union member states as well as Great Britain.
“We are working closely with the European Union Agency on all matters relating to the B737 MAX aircraft and any decisions it makes regarding its return to service,” he added.
In a briefing with journalists, the head of the United States Federal Aviation Authority said the authority “has been working closely with officials in Europe, Canada and Brazil, and we hope they will re-certify the flight of the plane in a few days. “.
However, there are expectations that the decision will take longer in other places, such as China.
Image posted, GETTY
A 737 Max plane belonging to the Indonesian company Lion Air crashed leaving 189 dead
Air crashes occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia in just five months, killing 346 people.
Both accidents were attributed to a flaw in an autopilot program called MCAS, which caused the face of the plane to tilt and fall after takeoff.
A report from the United States Congress last month stated that Boeing’s rush to produce this model aircraft and its decision to ignore internal security concerns and conceal major changes to the aircraft, including the need to train pilots, contributed to accidents.
The congressional report also criticized the Federal Aviation Authority for oversight loopholes, including “the reckless mandate it gave Boeing.”
At that time, Congress passed legislation aimed at reforming the agency.
Boeing estimated its losses as a result of the suspension of its flights at about $ 20 billion, and it still faces investigations, possible fines and other lawsuits as it tries to rebuild its reputation amid what it described as an “unprecedented decrease in travel. aerial “.
Before the accidents, Boeing produced more than 50 737 MAX planes a month. But global airlines have canceled or postponed orders for these models since the pandemic.
The company said last month that it did not expect to produce more than 30 planes a month until 2022. It warned investors of a backlog of around 450 737 MAX jets, of which only half will be delivered by the end of next year.
What airlines operate the 737 MAX?
American Airlines said it expects to resume its first flights in the 737 MAX in the United States on December 29.
United Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they plan to operate their planes next year.
But Britain’s Consumer Protection Association warned that many travelers may still feel uncomfortable with the idea of flying on the model already used by airlines such as TUI and Ryanair in Britain.
Travel editor Rory Bolland said: “Airlines planning to operate these aircraft should give passengers with existing reservations the option to choose another aircraft free of charge, and operators should also clarify which aircraft will be used for future reservations so that passengers passengers can make a correct decision. before travelling “.
John Grant of aviation data company OAG said that the upgrades, maintenance and pilot training required by the Federal Aviation Administration is a logistical “nightmare” for airlines at a time of weak demand and the likelihood of that many planes do not return to the sky soon.
And he warned that the stigma on Boeing’s reputation would continue as well.
“His name is bad and it will take some time to recover,” he said. “The company will be successful in this. It was approved that it is safe, but it will take time,” he added.
