FAA
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday cleared the Boeing 737 Max to resume commercial flights following a nearly two-year review after the planes were grounded in 2019 in the wake of two fatal crashes.
“The path that led us to this point was long and grueling, but we said from the start that we would take the time necessary to get this right,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson in a video message. “I am 100% comfortable with my family flying on it.”
The 737 Max had been grounded worldwide since March 2019, after two crashes, the first of which occurred in Indonesia in October 2018, killed 346 people. Boeing says it has since fixed the flight control system that was blamed for both accidents and taken steps to improve its focus on safety and quality.
While the FAA rescinded its order that grounded the 737 Max, the planes won’t be immediately returning to the sky. The agency must still approve pilot training revision for each US airline operating the Max, and planes must be updated — including installing software enhancements — before they can return to service.
Aviation safety agencies in Canada and the European Union are conducting their own reviews of the 737 Max.
“The FAA’s directive is an important milestone,” said Stan Deal, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in a press release. “We will continue to work with regulators around the world and our customers to return the airplane back into service worldwide.”
