- Tweeter
republish
Decisive meeting for Boeing this Thursday. The US Air Regulator (FAA) is calling its international counterparts in Texas, Fort Worth Port, to discuss changes to the Boeing 737 MAX anti-stall system. The software was implicated in the two air disasters of Lion Air on October 29 and Ethiopian Airlines on March 10 causing the death of 346 people. Since then, all devices are grounded and will not be able to resume service until a new certification. This is the goal of this Thursday's meeting.
Has the American regulator in charge of aircraft certifications proved too flexible with Boeing? Did he certify too quickly the last born of the aircraft manufacturer, the 737 MAX and its anti-stall software MCAS to allow it to catch up with Airbus, its direct competitor with the A320 Neo?
It may be that for lack of means, the FAA, an independent body, has entrusted part of the certification of the aircraft and its anti-stall software to Boeing engineers. This seriously undermines the credibility of the federal authority and undermine the mutual trust between regulators.
Even though the FAA claims that the 737 MAX certification has followed the standard procedure, it will have to face the representatives of 33 countries present at the meeting.
The Americans, who were the last to nail the aircraft on the ground after the accident of Ethiopian Airlines, will have to play the transparency. For Boeing who is not invited to this meeting, the issue is important. The aircraft manufacturer, which has completed more than 200 flight tests with the modified 737 MAX, is hoping for a boost in the air in the coming months.
The US regulator will have to convince its international partners that this time everything has been done as it should.