Boeing’s grounded 737 Max moves towards return

Bloomberg

Boeing Co’s grounded 737 Max jetliner completed a round of test flights with European air-safety regulators, taking another step towards a return to the skies.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will now evaluate data from the trips, it said in a statement. The agency, based in Cologne, Germany, performed the flights from Vancouver, near Boeing’s Seattle-area operations, to get around coronavirus-related US travel curbs.
“As the next step in its evaluation of the aircraft for return to service, EASA is now analysing the data and other information gathered during the flights,” the agency said.
The European flight tests follow similar assessments conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada. Pandemic-related travel restrictions have delayed recertification of the Max, which has been grounded since March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people. Both accidents were tied to a safety feature that malfunctioned and repeatedly commanded the jets to dive.
An evaluation of how pilots react to the updated aircraft, which will be used to establish new training standards, will take place next week at London’s Gatwick airport. The group running that process, the Joint Operations Evaluation Board, is overseen by regulators from Canada, Europe, Brazil and the US.
EASA meanwhile has to
complete various internal consultations and documentation, meaning it will likely take a few more weeks until the agency will certify the jet.
The Chicago-based company has said it aims to return the single-aisle plane to service in the fourth quarter, provided it clears the final regulatory hurdles.
EASA’s backing is seen as key to gaining global support for the aircraft, after the Max crisis damaged the FAA’s reputation as the leader in air safety.
For Boeing, restoring the cash flow provided by its most popular jet has taken on added significance after the planemaker disclosed manufacturing issues that have slowed production of its other major cash-generating jetliner, the 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing has built about 450 Max models during the grounding and has targeted delivery
of more than half of those
in the first 12 months after
re-certification.