The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it has
scheduled flight tests for Boeing’s troubled 737 Max aircraft to take place in
Vancouver, Canada starting 7 September.
The 737 Max has been grounded since March 2019 following two
crashes in which 346 people were killed. Investigations into the accidents
found a flaw in the aircraft’s systems was partially to blame, prompting
aviation authorities around the world to ground the model.
Boeing has been working on a series of fixes and improvements
since, namely to the aircraft’s Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System
(MCAS), which was designed to prevent the plane from stalling if its angle is
too steep on take-off but may have pushed the noses of the crashed planes down
in error.
The EASA’s announcement comes after the US Federal Aviation
Administration said it was also preparing to operate test flights, though the
European agency warned approval from its American counterpart would not
guarantee a similar outcome on the continent.
EASA simulator tests will take place at Gatwick airport next
week, while the Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB) will take place there
the week beginning 14 September.