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WASHINGTON / SEATTLE (Reuters) – The United States lifted a 20-month flight ban on Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX on Wednesday, alleviating a security crisis that left its top exporter with a tarnished reputation and hundreds of planes idle. But the relatives of the accident victims denounced the measure.
The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, signed an order to lift the longest ground plane in commercial aviation history and the agency released final details of the software, system and the training updates that Boeing and airlines must complete before transporting passengers.
When flights resume, Boeing will have a 24-hour war room to monitor all MAX flights for potential problems, from stuck landing gear to health emergencies, said three people familiar with the matter.
The 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people in five months in 2018 and 2019 and triggered a host of investigations, weakened US leadership in global aviation, and cost Boeing an estimated $ 20 billion. .
“This aircraft is the most vetted aircraft in the history of aviation,” Dickson told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. “The design changes that are being implemented completely eliminate the possibility of an accident similar to the two.”
“I feel 100% safe,” he added. “We’ve taken this up and down … We’ve done everything humanly possible to make sure.”
While US airlines can begin flying commercially once they meet FAA requirements, including a one-time simulator training session for all MAX pilots, flights elsewhere will be dependent on approval from other regulators around the world.
In a show of independence, Canada and Brazil said Wednesday that they were continuing with their own reviews, but hoped to wrap up the process soon, illustrating how the 737 MAX crashes upended an airline security system that was once dominated by the United States in the that nations large and small for decades moved. in tune with the FAA.
Questions remain about how quickly other regulators, especially in China, will lift their flight bans.
The US aircraft maker’s best-selling jet will make its comeback braving the headwinds of a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, new European trade tariffs and mistrust of one of the most scrutinized brands in aviation.
The 737 MAX is a redesigned upgrade to a jet introduced in the 1960s. Single-aisle jets like the MAX and its rival Airbus A320neo are workhorses that dominate global fleets and provide a significant source of profit for the industry.
Boeing shares fell 2.3% to $ 205.27 on Wednesday afternoon.
The families of the accident victims in Ethiopia said in a statement that they felt “great disappointment and renewed pain” following the FAA’s decision to return the aircraft to service.
“Our family was broken,” Naoise Ryan, whose 39-year-old husband died aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, said Tuesday.
LONG TRACK AHEAD
While regulators were quick to land the plane globally after MAX’s second crash in March 2019, the process of getting it back in the air is long and complex.
The FAA requires new pilot training and software updates to deal with a stall prevention system called MCAS, which in both crashes repeatedly pushed the nose of the aircraft as the pilots struggled to regain control.
U.S. airlines with 737 MAX jets said Wednesday they would complete the FAA’s maintenance and training requirement as they gradually return the plane to schedules that have been drastically reduced in the pandemic.
American Airlines plans to relaunch the first commercial MAX flight since grounding on December 29, followed by United Airlines in the first quarter of 2021 and Southwest Airlines in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines expects to receive its first 737 MAX early next year and begin passenger service in March.
Yet in a sign of the economy’s worsening since the MAX was grounded, Boeing customer Norwegian Air filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The FAA, which has faced accusations of being too close to Boeing in the past, said it plans in-person inspections of some 450 737 MAXs built and parked during the ban, which could take at least a year to complete. which would prolong the planes. deliveries.
A humble Boeing is struggling to maintain maintenance and find new buyers for many of its 737 MAXs. Boeing, which in normal years describes itself as the largest US exporter, has removed more than 1,000 MAX jets from its official order book because orders were canceled or in doubt.
“Every next aircraft we deliver is an opportunity to rebuild our brand and regain confidence,” Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told employees in a memo.
Even with all the hurdles, resuming deliveries of the 737 MAX will generate cash for Boeing and hundreds of troubled parts suppliers.
Boeing CFO Greg Smith said last month that he expects about half of the 450 aircraft in storage to be delivered by the end of next year, with most of the remaining aircraft delivered in 2022.
Investigative reports have blamed Boeing and the FAA for the development of the plane and for hiding information about MCAS from pilots, while a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice is ongoing. Dickson said the FAA is still reviewing Boeing’s actions in the MAX and could take additional enforcement action. Boeing is also facing lawsuits from the victims’ families.
US lawmakers are also evaluating proposals to reform the aircraft safety certification process.
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