737 MAX faces uncertainty as global agencies meet
NEW YORK: Getting Boeing’s top-selling 737 MAX back in the skies faces a critical test this week as the company and US regulators each seek to restore their reputations after two deadly crashes.
The US Federal Aviation Administration convened a summit of global aviation regulators to walk through the steps taken to address concerns with the MAX following criticism the agency dragged its feet on the decision to ground the jets.
Most agencies around the world have said little or nothing about the situation since the 737 MAX was grounded following the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash, which together with a Lion Air crash in October, claimed 346 lives.
So the gathering in Fort Worth, Texas today is expected to provide clues as to whether the aviation safety authorities will be willing to set aside any scepticism about the FAA, which has not yet given the green light for the 737 MAX to fly again.
Regulators “are going to want a lot of explanation,” said Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. “We’re going to learn a lot.” The FAA would prefer to have other agencies quickly follow its lead – which previously would have been likely – but several aviation experts think that is improbable.
Europe and Canada could follow the US by weeks in allowing the MAX jets to return to the skies. China is a wildcard.
It was the first country to order the planes grounded in March, and has been sparring with the US for months over trade policy.
China’s three largest airlines filed claims seeking compensation from Boeing over the grounding and delayed delivery of the jets, state media reported yesterday.
The FAA said 57 agencies from 33 countries will attend the summit, including China, France, Germany, Britain, India, Indonesia and Ethiopia, as well as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation.
The meeting comes after Boeing announced on May 16 that it completed a software update to address a problem with the flight handling programme known as the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System.