PARIS – The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) today said it has cleared the Boeing 737 MAX to fly again in European skies, 22 months after the model was grounded following two fatal crashes.
“Following extensive analysis by EASA, we have determined that the 737 MAX can safely return to service,” said EASA director Patrick Ky in a statement.
“This assessment was carried out in full independence of Boeing or the (United States) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and without any economic or political pressure.”
The MAX was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes that together killed 346 people – the 2018 Lion Air disaster in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines crash the following year.
Investigators said the main cause of both crashes was a faulty flight handling system known as the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System.
Meant to keep a plane from stalling as it ascends, the automated system instead forced the noses of the two aircraft downwards.
The findings plunged Boeing into crisis, with more than 650 orders for the MAX cancelled since last year.
FAA ordered Boeing to revamp the jet and implement new pilot training protocols, before finally approving the plane for a return to service last November. – AFP, January 27, 2021
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