On Wednesday the Federal Aviation Administration cleared Boeing’s 737 Max to fly again, as per a reporter. The approval from FAA comes after the airliner was grounded for nearly 20 months due to a pair of crashes that killed 346 people.
The FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed an order clearing the grounding of the jet and granted permission for the jet to fly. Last week the FAA was in the final stages of reviewing design changes to 737 Max which would ensure its safe to return to the skies. The grounding orders were lifted only after safety experts were fully satisfied with the safety measures and that the aircraft would meet certification standards.
Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said that the FAA guidelines were important for flight safety. He further added that they would continue to work with safety regulations around the world and encourage their customers to allow the comeback of the airplane back into service worldwide
Safety design changes, pilot training requirements would be made mandatory in an Airworthiness Directive that would be issued soon. It is expected that it will go into effect when it appears in the federal register, spokes men said.
Two years back Boeing was penalised for rushing to implement a new software system that put profits over safety and ultimately led to the firing of its CEO.
The Air Line Pilots Association expressed confidence that the new 737 Max is safe.
Based on the Airworthiness trials, Air Line Pilots Association ALPA believes that the engineering and software fixes are sound and will be effective for the safe return to service of the 737 Max.
The FAA will continue to work closely with foreign civil aviation partners to evaluate any additional enhancements that may be needed for the aircraft.
