Boeing’s 737 Max plane was given the green light to return to space in the EU by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), after it took off 22 months after two fatal crashes.
Marking a crucial step in a return to service, a modified version of a U.S. company’s wholesale aircraft was re-approved for flight, though not until a package of inspections and training was completed.
The move does not apply to the UK after it leaves the EU on 1 January, and the UK regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, will confirm the plane separately. The CAA is expected to make an announcement shortly, stating that the work of EASA would inform its decision.
EASA said all 737 Max aircraft had to undergo software upgrades, rework their electrical system, maintenance checks, manual upgrades and crew training before returning to service. again.
As a result, all flights must be subject to air renewal management, which will be registered by aircraft operators and under the control of the national aviation authority of each of the 27 EU member states, meaning that it may take some time before the 737 Max off again in Europe.
What has Boeing fixed?
EASA has followed the steps of regulators in the US and Brazil in approving the modified 737 Max. The decision to approve was “an important milestone on a long road”, said EASA executive director Patrick Ky, adding that the regulator had not come under any pressure from Boeing or others to do so. .
“This assessment was made in the full independence of Boeing or the Federal Aviation Administration and without any economic or political pressure – we posed difficult questions until we found answers and pushed for solutions that satisfied our needs. detailed safety requirements, ”said Ky.
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Ky said that EASA had every confidence that the plane was safe ”and that they had conducted their own flight tests.
The 737 Max was established worldwide in March 2019 after two plane crashes within six months killed a total of 346 people.
EASA, which monitors Max’s 737 activity when the planes return to space, said it had asked Boeing to continue working to improve the planes in the medium term, to “safety level”. reach even higher ”.
The 737 Max was taken down after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia caused by a faulty sensor, which again triggered a system that pushed down the plane’s nose.