The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is likely to open its Boeing 737 MAX airfield as the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) prepares to ban its existence for nearly two years. The GCAA banned airlines operating Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from landing or taking off from UAE airports on March 13, 2019. The ban came after the fatal crashes of two MAX aircraft. operated by Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air, Indonesia’s low-cost carrier.
Now after an initial investigation and months of finding a solution for the Motion Feature Enhancement System (MCAS) that is thought to have caused the crash, aviation authorities are confident it is now safe. After a software update and hundreds of hours of test flights, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared the MAX to return to service on November 8, 2020.
It was not long before the Canadian Congress and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) followed suit, clearing the MAX at the end of January 2021. Now the GCAA, according to the Khaleej Times, is willing to ban build his flight sometime in March.
flydubai has 14 737MAXs
Flydubai was the only UAE carrier affected by the ground, and, according to aviation website Planespotters.net, has 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and three Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights. of the ban lifted.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, General Civil Aviation Authority Director General Saif Al Suwaidi said:
“The authority’s technical committee is currently working to assess the additional requirements set out in the latest version of the authority’s guidance issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The assessment will be completed within two weeks, after which a safety decision will be issued in mid-February, which will indicate the length of time the aircraft is expected to restart, ” Al Suwaidi said.
Pilots need to be retrained
Al Suwaidi explained that before the 737 MAX flew in the UAE, all safety changes had to be made and all MAX pilots had to be retrained to understand how the improvements are on the MCAS function. Al Suwaidi confirmed that the GCAA has worked with the FAA and EASA to ensure the safe return of the Boeing 737 MAX.
When asked by the Khaleej Times on Saturday about when flydubai expects the MAX to return to service, a spokesman for the airline said:
“Flydubai continues to work closely with its regulator, the General Civil Aviation Authority. A Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will not return to operating system until it receives regulatory approval from the GCAA. “
flydubai has made a big bet on the MAX
In 2017 at the Dubai Air Show, flydubai ordered $ 27 billion for 175 MAX flights along with an option for 50 other planes. In an interview with the Khaleej Times, Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research in London, said:
“With a safe return to the already established 737 MAX service in the US, Canada and Brazil, the UAE wants to stamp out such an agreement so that Boeing’s major customer, flydubai, can resume work as well, ” add, “After that, we will see the fuel-efficient 737 MAX take to the air again. Even with the disease still spreading, the restart of the 737 MAX will still be very beneficial for flydubai. ”
Many flydubai buyers may be willing to get a 737 MAX at first, but flydubai and Boeing have made a big bet on the plane and need to regain its reputation as soon as possible.
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