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US regulators on Wednesday cleared the Boeing 737 MAX to return to the skies, ending its 20-month grounding after two fatal accidents that pushed the company into a crisis.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the approval followed “an unprecedented level of collaborative and independent reviews by aviation authorities around the world.”
In a video that accompanied the announcement, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said he was “100 percent comfortable” with his family flying the jet. Dickson conducted test flights during the approval process.
The plane was grounded after two crashes that killed a total of 346 people in 2018 and 2019. Both Boeing and the FAA have come under fire in the wake of the crisis, with critics saying Boeing sacrificed safety for profit and that the FAA was too deferential. to the private giant.
A primary cause of the two crashes was identified as a faulty flight management system that was supposed to prevent the plane from stopping while ascending, but instead forced the nose of the plane down. The FAA required Boeing to update this system to fix the failure.
Boeing applauded the FAA’s approval as an “important milestone” in the company’s journey to restore its reputation and said it will “never forget the lives lost in the two tragic accidents.”
Boeing, which replaced its CEO and several other top executives in the wake of the crisis, has also been hit by a slowdown in commercial airplane travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But family members who lost loved ones in the crashes criticized the decision, according to a statement from Clifford Law Offices, which represents them in the litigation.
“The FAA’s aggressive secrecy means we cannot believe the Boeing 737 MAX is safe,” said Michael Stumo, whose daughter was killed in an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in March 2019. The Ethiopian crash followed the calamitous crash of Lion Air in Indonesia in October 2018.
“We were told the plane was safe when it was certified in March 2017 and again after the Lion Air accident in October 2018. ‘Trust us’ no longer works.”
FAA: ‘Reestablish’ relationship with Boeing
To obtain federal approval, Boeing made changes to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), the anti-jamming system that was incorrectly activated on Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights.
Dickson, in an interview with CNBC, said changes to the jet make it “impossible for planes to have the same kinds of accidents.”
Dickson also insisted that the FAA had “reestablished” its relationship with Boeing and that agency employees who challenge Boeing in the future will have the support of superiors at the regulator.
For Boeing, the FAA announcement creates a path to begin delivering about 450 MAX aircraft that have already been built but in storage. The planes must be inspected by the FAA before they enter service, Dickson said at a news conference Wednesday.
Aircraft deliveries are tied to company revenue. Boeing has reported losses in the past four quarters and the MAX crisis has cost the company about $ 20 billion in production and compensation expenses to airlines.
The FAA has yet to approve pilot training protocols for individual airlines before the MAX can return to service.
Some travel experts expect consumers to be wary of flying the MAX at first, but say the concern should dissipate once the plane sets a record for reliability.
American Airlines executives reiterated their plans to resume MAX service in late December for flights between New York and Miami, saying in a message to employees that the airline’s pilots had “played an integral role” during the process. FAA certification.
“If our pilots … trust that the aircraft is safe, we trust their return,” the message read.
But Southwest Airlines pointed to a later restart, saying it would work with the FAA regarding flight control software updates and pilot training.
“There is a lot of work to be done before our MAX aircraft resumes service, which we estimate will take place no earlier than the second quarter of 2021,” said a message from Southwest CEO Gary Kelly.
International regulators must also approve the MAX before it can fly outside of the US.
Transport Canada said it worked “extensively” with the FAA, but would require additional steps in pilot training and pre-flight procedures.
Dickson told a news conference that the FAA had worked closely with international regulators, including Europe and Britain, and that some could approve the return of MAX “in a matter of days.”
Boeing shares, which soared early in the session, closed 3.2 percent lower at $ 203.30.
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