A modified version of the Boeing 737 MAX passenger liner was allowed to operate in Europe. This was reported on the website of the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Wednesday, January 27.
"We have reached an important milestone on this long journey. After a thorough analysis conducted by EASA, we have concluded that the 737 MAX can safely return to flight, " the agency's executive director, Patrick Key, said in a press release.
EASA emphasizes that the liner has been updated with software, repaired electrical wiring, it has undergone maintenance and retraining of the crew.
At the end of November 2020, Patrick Key said that Europe plans to lift the ban on flights of the passenger Boeing 737 MAX in January 2021.
Also in November, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) The United States has given permission to resume operation of these aircraft. The regulator has approved a training program for Boeing pilots, which is necessary to resume flights of the aircraft after a 20-month break, the longest in the history of commercial aviation.
In December, it was reported that permission to resume commercial flights of the Boeing 737 MAX could be obtained in Canadian airspace, but the first flights will not take place until January 2021.
Canadian airline WestJet on January 21 made a Boeing 737 MAX flight from Calgary to Vancouver, the aviation website FlightGlobal reported. This is the first airline to use this airliner for commercial purposes after a nearly two-year hiatus.
The operation of the Boeing 737 MAX was suspended in March 2019 after two plane crashes, which killed 346 people.
In October 2018, a plane of this model of the Indonesian company Lion Air crashed, killing all 189 people on board. The aircraft crashed in Indonesia 13 minutes after taking off from the airport.
On March 10, 2019, the same aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines crashed in Ethiopia a few minutes after takeoff. 157 people were killed, including three Russians.
