IT MAY be five months or
more before the Boeing
737 MAX 8 is cleared for
take-off as the US Federal
Aviation Administration
(FAA) is still considering
recommendations made
by the Department of
Transportation’s Special
Committee.
The Special
Committee, which was
established in April
2019 by US Secretary
of Transportation, Elaine
Chao, following the
crashes of two Boeing
737 MAX 8 aircraft – one
in Indonesia (October
2018) and one in
Ethiopia (March 2019) –
released its findings and
recommendations late
last month.
The committee found
that the FAA’s aircraft
certification process
was followed but that
there was “room for
improvement” in multiple
areas, including the
expansion of System
Safety Assessments.
Meanwhile, Boeing said
in a statement that it
estimated the grounding
of the 737 MAX would be
lifted during mid-2020.
Comair, which had
ordered eight MAX 8
aircraft as part of its fleet
renewal programme, told
TNW the company was
monitoring the situation
and was in regular
communication with
Boeing and the regulatory
authorities to plan the
return to service of the
737 MAX 8.
“At this stage, we
cannot confirm the
timing,” said Comair’s
head of corporate
communications, Susan
Van Der Ryst. Susan
admitted that not being
able to fly the 737 MAX 8
had created operational
challenges. “The final
financial impact will
depend on how long the
grounding continues,”
she said.
“The safety and
confidence of our
customers and crews is
always our priority. We
will consider bringing
the 737 MAX 8 back
into service after we
have approval from all
the relevant regulatory
authorities, we have
installed and tested
any upgrades to the
flight systems and have
completed any additional
training that may be
required,” she said.
