A global flight ban has been in place for the 737 Max crisis jet since March last year. However, the hot test phase for the re-registration of the Boeing aircraft has now been completed. However, there are still a number of other hurdles until the aircraft type is allowed to go up again.
The Boeing 737 Max, which has a worldwide flight ban, has successfully completed a series of test flights. The three-day test phase for the machine in the US west coast state of Washington has been completed, according to the US air traffic control agency FAA. She described these first test flights since the flight ban as an "important milestone" on the way to new registration of the aircraft.
But the agency also emphasized that a number of "key tasks" still had to be completed before the 737 Max could be recertified. This includes the analysis of the data collected during the test flights. The FAA will only lift the flight ban if its security experts are certain that the aircraft fulfills all the requirements, the message said.
The 737 Max has been banned from flying worldwide since March 2019. It was imposed after two planes of this type crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia. A total of 346 people were killed.
Massive savings program at Boeing
Investigators believe that the two crashes were caused by a problem in a stabilization system that is pushing the nose of the aircraft down if an impending stall occurs. Other technical problems have also been discovered, including electrical wiring. Boeing has now made technical changes, including revising the software for the stabilization system.
The problems of the 737 Max have plunged Boeing into a deep crisis that has been exacerbated in recent months by the global slump in air traffic following the coronavirus pandemic. The drastic decline in air traffic has led to a massive decline in orders to aircraft manufacturers.
Boeing has already launched a massive austerity program to stabilize its financial position. At the end of April, the company announced that it would cut ten percent of its jobs worldwide – around 16,000 jobs.
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