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WASHINGTON / SEATTLE: After nearly two years of scrutiny, corporate turmoil, and a showdown with global regulators, Boeing won approval on Wednesday (November 18) from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly its jet 737 MAX again after two fatal disasters.
The FAA detailed the software updates and training changes that Boeing must make in order to resume commercial flights after a 20-month grounding, the longest in commercial aviation history.
The 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people in five months in 2018 and 2019 and triggered a hail of investigations, weakened U.S. leadership in global aviation, and cost Boeing about $ 20 billion. Dollars.
READ: FAA chief ‘100% sure’ of 737 MAX safety as flights resume
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The US aircraft maker’s best-selling jet will resume commercial service facing strong winds against a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic, new European trade tariffs and distrust of one of the most scrutinized brands in aviation.
The families of the accident victims in Ethiopia said in a statement Wednesday that they felt “great disappointment and renewed pain” following the FAA’s decision to return the plane to service.
“Our family was broken,” said Naoise Ryan, whose husband of 39 years died aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
“We are suffering and most likely we will continue to suffer for a long time, if not for the rest of our lives.”
The 737 MAX is a redesigned update to a jet first introduced in the 1960s. Single-aisle aircraft such as the MAX and its rival Airbus A320neo are workhorses that dominate global fleets and provide a significant source of profit for the industry.
Of the US airlines with 737 MAX jets, 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 of next year.
Leading regulators in Europe, Brazil and China are also required to issue their own approvals for their airlines after independent reviews, illustrating how the 737 MAX accidents upended an airline safety system once dominated by the U.S. FAA. .
When it flies, Boeing will run a 24-hour war room to monitor all MAX flights for problems that may affect the return of the plane, from stuck landing gear to health emergencies, three people familiar with the matter said.
LONG TRACK AHEAD
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed an order lifting the flight ban early Wednesday and the agency published an airworthiness directive detailing the necessary changes.
“We have done everything humanly possible to ensure that” these types of accidents do not happen again, Dickson told Reuters, saying he felt “100 percent confident” in the safety of the plane.
The FAA requires new pilot training and software updates to deal with a stall prevention system called MCAS, which in both crashes repeatedly and powerfully pushed the nose of the plane as the pilots struggled to regain control.
The FAA, which has faced accusations of being too close to Boeing in the past, said it would no longer allow Boeing to approve the airworthiness of some 450 737 MAXs built and parked during the ban. Schedule in-person inspections that could take a year or more to complete, prolonging delivery of the planes.
READ: Boeing reports more 737 MAX cancellations, deliveries fall
READ: Boeing 737 MAX safety updates are ‘positive progress’: NTSB
Meanwhile, Boeing is struggling to maintain maintenance and find new buyers for many of its discontinued 737 MAXs after receiving cancellations from their original buyers. Demand is further undermined by the coronavirus crisis.
Even with all the hurdles, the resumption of 737 MAX deliveries will open up crucial cash flow for Boeing and hundreds of parts suppliers whose finances were hit by production cuts related to the plane’s safety ban.
Numerous reports have criticized Boeing and the FAA over the development of the plane. A report from the US House of Representatives in September said that Boeing failed in the design and development of the MAX, and that the FAA failed in its oversight and certification.
He also criticized Boeing for hiding crucial information from the FAA, its customers and pilots, including “hiding the very existence of MCAS from the 737 MAX pilots.”
The Boeing CEO urged staff to speak up whenever they see behavior contrary to the values of safety, quality and integrity. “We have implemented a number of significant changes to strengthen our company culture and safety practices,” Dave Calhoun told employees in a letter.
On Tuesday, the House unanimously passed a bill to reform the way the FAA certifies airplanes, while a Senate panel will consider a similar bill on Wednesday.
