Paris (AFP)

After the United States, Brazil and Canada, Europe will authorize the return in flight of the Boeing 737 MAX "next week", 22 months after being grounded following two accidents, announced Tuesday the regulator European.

"We expect to publish it (the airworthiness directive, editor's note) next week. From our point of view, the MAX will be able to fly again (in Europe) from next week", explained Patrick Ky, director of the Agency European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) at a video press conference with the German aeronautical press association Luftfahrt-Presse-Club (LPC).

"We have reached the stage where our four prerequisites have been fulfilled," continued Mr. Ky, citing "the good understanding of what had happened", that "all the factors which contributed to the accidents are addressed", qu 'a number of "critical" points can be verified by EASA itself and that pilots are "properly informed and trained".

"We have enjoyed full transparency from the FAA and Boeing," Ky added.

In November, the United States Aviation Agency (FAA), the primary certification body for an American aircraft, then the Brazilian authorities, gave the green light for the return to service.

Canada announced Monday that it would authorize the resumption of flights on its territory of the Boeing 737 MAX on Wednesday.

The decision from China, where many 737 MAXs have been sold, remains pending and according to the Chinese air transport regulator (CAAC), no timetable has been set.

The plane was grounded after two accidents that killed 346, Lion Air in Indonesia in October 2018 (189 dead) and Ethiopian Airlines in March 2019 in Ethiopia (157 dead).

The authorization to fly in Europe for the MAX means that Boeing, stunned by the setbacks of the last generation of its medium-haul and by the coronavirus crisis, will be able to resume its deliveries to the continent and can therefore hope to improve its profitability , customers paying most of the bill when they take possession of the planes.

- No French customer -

During the two accidents, it was after receiving erroneous information from one of the two AOA angle of attack probes, indicating that the aircraft was in a stall, that the MCAS software had run away despite the pilots' efforts to deactivate it. , and had pitched the plane.

The planes must undergo a modification of the MCAS software.

Other software must also be changed and some cables repositioned.

To solve the problem of the two probes, Boeing will develop a third, digital one, which will be installed on planes from 2022. In the meantime, specific training for pilots to identify and manage conflicting information from the two probes is set up, according to Ky.

The Brazilian low-cost company Gol was the first in the world to fly the star Boeing plane on December 9 between Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.

In the United States, the 737 MAX resumed service on December 29 under the colors of American Airlines.

Since the re-flight clearance, Boeing has delivered 27 737 MAXs (all in December), including 10 to American Airlines.

Since it entered service, 67 units of the aircraft have been delivered to European customers, including 19 Norwegian Air Shuttles and 12 to Turkish Airlines.

A total of 723 aircraft have been ordered by European customers, of which 210 remain to be delivered to Ryanair, 92 to Norwegian Air Shuttle and 63 to Turkish Airlines.

Fourteen companies and rental companies from the Old Continent have ordered 737 MAXs, but no French.

Nearly 450 aircraft produced and which were due to be delivered when the aircraft was suspended are stored in Boeing parking lots and must be thoroughly serviced before customers receive them.

Boeing therefore anticipates a very gradual upturn in production, counting on production of 31 aircraft per month at the start of 2022.

© 2021 AFP