Ban on Boeing 737 MAX lifted

ABU DHABI: The Director-general of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Saif Al Suwaidi, said that the ban on Boeing 737 MAX was lifted and a safety decision was issued for the aircraft to operate again.

Al Suwaidi added that lifting of the ban on the aircraft was a result of the “intensive efforts made by the technical committee at the authority through evaluating all the technical requirements in accordance with the requirements by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration.

“It resulted in the committee determining that those technical requirements should be met by the companies to ensure the return of the aircraft to the skies again,” he explained.

Al Suwaidi explained that the latest decision “includes the correct measures to be applied by airlines operating the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, most notably updating the MCAS system, pilot training procedures and the operational readiness of all aircraft before operating again, in addition to the flight permit procedures that will be issued by the authority for each aircraft.”

GCAA Director-general noted that the safety decision also includes the technical requirements that must be met by foreign companies’ Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are expected to operate in the country’s airspace.

“We emphasise GCAA’S commitment to guarantee the safe return of the aircraft to the country’s airspace,” Al Suwaidi continued.

Ismail Al Baloushi, Assistant DirectorGeneral for Aviation Safety Affairs, said, “We will be closely monitoring and making sure that the companies are meeting these technical requirements before their aircraft operate again.”