India set to clear Boeing 737 Max to fly again within days

Bloomberg

India is set to allow Boeing Co’s 737 Max jets to resume flights in the country within days, according to a person familiar with the matter, clearing one of the last remaining hurdles for the US planemaker as it seeks to get the model flying again worldwide.
The South Asian nation has been satisfied with the plane’s performance since it was un-grounded in the US, Europe and a number of other nations, and Boeing has met India’s own requirements, which included setting up a Max simulator there, the person said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential.
Rajeev Jain, a spokesman for India’s aviation ministry, said a decision on un-grounding the Max is awaited. A representative for Boeing said the company continues to work with global regulators to safely return the Max to service worldwide, adding that more than 170 out of 195 global regulators have opened their airspace for the model.
Clearance in India will be a coup for Boeing, ending the plane’s more than two-year grounding in a country where Airbus SE’s A320-family of aircraft dominate the skies.
It would leave China as the last major hurdle for Boeing, given almost all other major aviation markets have allowed the jet to fly again following
extensive fixes.
Beijing moved first to ground the Max in 2019 after two deadly crashes, triggering a cascade of orders from aviation authorities around the world. Boeing conducted a test flight for regulators in China, the first sign of a potential thawing.
Akasa, a new Indian airline backed by billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, has also approached authorities about its desire to operate 737 Max jets, the person said.