[ad_1]
JAKARTA: Some of the relatives of the victims of a fatal accident of a Boeing 737 MAX in Indonesia criticized the decision of the US aviation authorities to allow the planes to return to the skies, saying that the measure comes too soon .
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a Boeing 737 MAX flight ban on Wednesday imposed after two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people in five months in 2018 and 2019.
Two years after the plane operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air sank in the Java Sea, killing all 189 on board, the tragedy lives on.
“The US authorities should not have lifted the grounding order so quickly,” said Aris Sugiono, who lost his sister and brother-in-law in the accident. “They must consider the feelings of the families of the victims.”
In the past, global air regulators quickly followed the lead of the FAA, who for decades is credited with pioneering aviation safety. But many are now wary of appearing to be following the FAA line after the US agency was accused of lax oversight.
“It’s too early,” agreed Anton Sahadi, who had two young relatives aboard the doomed flight. “It was not just the Lion Air flight, but also the victims in Ethiopia … The families of the victims have not yet recovered 100%.”
Posted in Dawn, November 20, 2020
