Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has received permission from the American aviation authority FAA to test the 737 MAX aircraft again. The tests could start on Monday, the aviation authority said. With the test flights, the return of the aircraft is a step closer.
FAA emphasizes that the green light for the test flights does not mean that the problems with the 737 MAX have been resolved. The tests should show whether the problems with the operating software are a thing of the past. The test flights will be conducted in the vicinity of the American city of Seattle, where the aircraft manufacturer makes the aircraft.
The flaw in the control software led to plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing all 346 occupants. As a result, the device has not been used since March last year.
If the test flights are successful, it may still take months to find the 737 MAX back in the air. For example, pilots may still need training to fly the renewed 737 MAX, aircraft still have to be mothballed and tested and other aviation authorities must also give the green light.
With the test flights, there seems to be light again at the end of a long tunnel for Boeing. The 737 MAX file has cost the aircraft manufacturer billions of lost sales and compensation arrangements for airlines and other 737-MAX customers over the past year and a half. As a result, Boeing recorded a loss last year for the first time since 1997. Due to the problems, CEO Dennis Muilenburg also had to leave the field at the end of December.
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