Great timing because we’re all in a rush to travel these days
Boeing 737 Max passenger jets are today closer to returning to service in the United States after America’s aviation watchdog lifted a 20-month ban albeit with caveats attached. FAA boss Steve Dickson signed off paperwork [PDF] that „enables operation of Boeing Company Model 737-8 and Boeing Company 737-9 airplanes“ once any other „applicable requirements for return to service“ are met. This order only applies to domestic flights within the US. The decision follows the regulator’s probing into what caused Lion Air Flight 610 to crash into the Java Sea by Indonesia in October 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 to go down the following March, killing 346 people in total. Both planes were 737 Maxes. It was determined a combination of faulty angle-of-attack sensor hardware and resulting flight control software overcompensation were primarily at fault. As such, Boeing must install improved flight control software, designed to avoid repeat disaster, and train pilots on the upgraded system [PDF], before a 737 Max jet can ferry people from A to B again.
