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Boeing is hiring its own team of up to 160 pilots to work with airlines on the American manufacturer’s relaunch of its best-selling 737 Max, as the plane returns to service around the world.
The manufacturer is seeking experienced instructor pilots to observe and assist airline pilots once 737 Max flights are restarted in the new year. Pilots will receive 35-day assignments with an equivalent annual salary that could reach $ 200,000 (£ 148,000), with a potential total cost of $ 32 million, Reuters reported for the first time.
Most airlines plan to begin flying the 737 Max in the first months of 2021. American Airlines will begin its first commercial flights on December 29.
A smooth return to service for the 737 Max is crucial to Boeing’s fortunes, after the model was grounded in March 2019 following two fatal accidents that killed 346 people.
The crisis rocked the manufacturer, forcing the resignation of a chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, and cost more than $ 20 billion in compensation to victims’ customers and families and additional production costs.
The 737 Max crisis meant that Boeing lagged much further behind its staunch European rival Airbus in the battle to be the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, and left it in a weak financial position when the coronavirus pandemic triggered a crash. dramatic effect on global air traffic. Boeing said in October it would lay off 30,000 of its 160,000 workers by the end of 2021 as it tried to retire.
The twin challenges of the crashes and the pandemic have meant that orders for the 737 Max have plummeted, although Ryanair this month ordered 75 of the jets, likely at a steep discount.
Boeing has made a number of changes to the way the 737 Max flies to avoid a recurrence of the problems that contributed to the fatal crashes, the repeated activation of an anti-lock system that forced the aircraft’s nose to tilt.
In addition to the additional pilots, Boeing has established a 24-hour monitoring facility in California to respond immediately in an emergency. He is also working with the airlines on conversation topics to discuss the 737 Max with passengers.
Reuters reported that an Isle of Man-based company, CCL Aviation, was conducting the pilot recruitment.
CCL Aviation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, its website advertised job opportunities for Boeing 737, 777 and 787 model captains with teaching experience.
The ad said pilots must have more than 1,000 hours of documented experience as airline aircraft instructors and have no “incidents, accidents, losses or violations” on their record.
A Boeing spokeswoman said: “We continue to work closely with global regulators and customers to safely return the 737-8 and 737-9 to service around the world.”
