The US Federal Aviation Administration has put forward a
list of changes it wants Boeing to make to the troubled 737 Max aircraft in
order to recertify it to operate commercial flights again.
The Boeing 737 Max has been grounded since March 2019
following two fatal crashes in which 346 people were killed. Based on flight
recorder data, investigators determined the aircraft’s Manoeuvring
Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which corrects the angle of attack
of the plane if a sensor detects it is climbing too steeply, was partially to
blame for the accidents.
According to a document published by the FAA on Monday, it
wants to see Boeing update the 737 Max’s flight control software, revise crew
procedures and reroute internal wiring to satisfy its criteria for recertification.
These come in addition to the manufacturer’s own recommendations, which the
regulator said sufficiently addressed the problems that had contributed to the
crashes.
The document still has to be made official, but once it is
Boeing can move ahead with making the changes and submitting the plane for
recertification. Then comes the challenge of developing new pilot training
programmes for the changes and technical reviews from other global regulators,
which are not beholden to the FAA’s decision.
Boeing said it hopes to get the 737 Max back in the skies in
early 2021 after its hopes of recertification this year were dashed, but global passenger demand for air travel is expected to remain
low at that time due to the coronavirus pandemic.