Boeing 737 Max cleared to fly in UK and EU after crashes

LONDON - Boeing’s 737

Max plane is safe to return to service in the UK and the European Union, regulators have said.

It ends a 22-month flight ban for the jet, which followed two crashes which caused 346 deaths.

The plane had already been cleared to resume flying in North America and Brazil.

But this week a senior manager at Boeing’s 737 plant in Seattle warned that recertification had happened too quickly.

Regulators in the US and Europe insist their reviews have been thorough, and that the 737 Max aircraft is now safe.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa), which regulates aviation in 31 mainly EU countries, said it now had “every confidence” in the plane following an independent review.

“But we will continue to monitor 737 Max operations closely as the aircraft resumes service,” said executive director Patrick Ky.

“In parallel, and at our insistence, Boeing has also committed to work to enhance the aircraft still further in the medium term, to reach an even higher level of safety.”

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which oversees UK aviation now Britain has left the EU, said the work to return the 737

Max to the skies had been “the most extensive project of this kind.”

It said it was in close contact with Tui, currently the only UK operator of the aircraft, as it returned the plane to service.

“As part of this we will have full oversight of the airline’s plans including its pilot training programmes and implementation of the required aircraft modifications.”

The 737 Max’s first accident occurred in October 2018, when a Lion Air jet came down in the sea off Indonesia.

The second involved an Ethiopian Airlines version that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, just four months later.

Both have been attributed to flawed flight control software, which became active at the wrong time and prompted the aircraft to go into a catastrophic dive. – BBC.