Boeing’s 737 Max jet has been cleared for flight nearly two years after it was grounded following a pair of deadly crashes.
The US air safety agency gave the go-ahead, saying the decision was made after a comprehensive and methodical 20-month review process.
The Max was banned from flying in March 2019 after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet, less than five months after another Max flown by Indonesia’s Lion Air mysteriously plunged into the Java Sea.
All 346 passengers and crew members on both planes were killed.
The planes will not return to the skies immediately because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it must approve pilot training changes for each US airline and airlines must perform required maintenance on the planes.
The FAA says the move was made in co-operation with air safety regulators worldwide.
Before the flight ban, Ryanair had 135 of the aircraft on order, while Tui UK and British Airways were also expected to take delivery of the jets.
“Those regulators have indicated that Boeing’s design changes, together with the changes to crew procedures and training enhancements, will give them the confidence to validate the aircraft as safe to fly in their respective countries and regions,” the FAA said in a statement.
Anti-stall software to counter the plane’s tendency to tilt nose-up because of the size and placement of the engines was linked to the malfunctions. It pushed the nose down on both planes that crashed, forcing pilots to lose control.
Boeing changed the software that does not over-ride pilot controls. Pilots must also undergo simulator training, which was not required when the aircraft was introduced.
Sales of new planes have plunged because of the Max crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. Orders for more than 1,000 Max jets have been cancelled or removed from Boeing’s backlog this year.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which started its own testing programme, has maintained that clearance by the FAA will not automatically mean the plane is considered airworthy in Europe.
“These events and the lessons we have learned as a result have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality and integrity,” current Boeing chief executive David Calhoun said in a statement.
Boeing’s then-chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, initially suggested that the pilots were to blame. However, investigators predicted there would be 15 more crashes during the plane’s life span if the flight-control software were not fixed.
The investigators said Boeing suffered from a “culture of concealment” and pressured engineers in a rush to get the plane on the market.
