Chinese airlines generally expect the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to withdraw its grounding order on the Boeing 737 MAX no later than March 2021, industry sources said.
EASA moved one step closer to issuing its own parameters for the Boeing 737 MAX’s return by formally announcing it would not adopt the FAA’s final airworthiness directive (AD) containing its requirements.
Copa Airlines plans to have at least two of its Boeing 737-9s back in service by year-end, suggesting its regulator is poised to approve the grounded model’s return and position the carrier to be among the first airlines to return MAX-family aircraft to revenue flying.
The FAA’s finalization of required changes to the Boeing 737 MAX and its formal reversal of a flight ban if the changes are implemented clears the way for U.S. operators to get their grounded aircraft back in service.
U.S. carriers announced plans to return the Boeing 737 MAX to commercial service following news of the model’s ungrounding, but time lines for resuming commercial operations vary.
The FAA on Nov. 18 rescinded its ban on Boeing 737 MAX operations, releasing text of an airworthiness directive that codifies the steps airlines must follow before their MAXs can fly again.
The FAA plans to wrap up its review of Boeing’s proposed 737 MAX changes “in the coming days,” clearing the way for airlines to begin software modifications and pilot training needed to get the grounded model back into revenue service, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said.
As regulators and Boeing work to finalize 737 MAX pilot training and return-to-service requirements, several operators of the grounded model are growing more confident that they will have some of their newest Boeing narrowbodies carrying revenue passengers by early 2021 at the latest.
Russian LCC Pobeda no longer plans to take delivery of 30 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbodies for which it had signed a letter of intent, according to the airline’s CEO Andrey Kalmykov.
Pilot groups believe several elements of new Boeing 737 MAX training should be expanded and required more frequently than the FAA proposes so pilots remain familiar with certain non-normal procedures and how a key flight-control function works.
American Airlines has reached an agreement with Boeing to defer delivery of up to 18 737 MAX airliners over the next two years, in a bid to further rein in spending following its third consecutive quarterly loss in 2020.
Proposed new minimum training for 737 MAX pilots includes five scenarios in full-flight simulators preceded by reviews of related checklists and materials, a report issued by the FAA Oct. 6 reveals.
The Boeing 737 MAX saga isn’t over yet, but recent public comments by the heads of the FAA and EASA suggest that the 19-month grounding is coming to an end.
Tajikistan’s Somon Air is mulling the possibility of adding the currently grounded Boeing 737 MAX to its fleet, 15 months after pulling out of a deal to lease the narrowbody.
