Boeing MAX comeback?

Whilst there has been no official word from Seattle it does seem likely that the Boeing 737 MAX will return into airline service by the end of the year, maybe sooner?

All MAX aircraft were grounded in March 2019 after fatal crashes involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines.  None have been delivered since that time either.

The US FAA will initially give the green light but it is working closely with Europe’s EASA and other authorities.

“We are in the process of finalising everything that needs to be finalised, and I think that for the first time in a year and half now I can say that the end is in sight of this work on the MAX,” EASA Director General Patrick Ky said during a French journalists’ association conference last week.

Just under 400 Boeing MAX had been delivered at the time of the grounding with a backlog of 4,000.  It remains to be seen how many will be required after Covid-19.

Aircraft delivered will require modifications to the flight control systems.  The review also found other “weaknesses” in the overall 737 design and build, and these are being addressed.  The public reaction to being asked to fly on a MAX is another issue yet to be faced.

www.boeing.com

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

Neil Munro, UK

Get EASA to do a full test flight programme to ensure all is as claimed. Do not trust those to the west of us to do the job correctly. If they had this problem would not have arisen.

Celia Jones, Beaconsfield

Will passengers want to fly on the MAX? All the Boeing’s look the same to me. I trust the chair of the CAA will be on the first ex UK flight