BOEING B737MAX’S STORED AT ZAVENTEM NOT EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE SKIES BEFORE 2020
(Posted 02nd July 2019)
(B737MAX’s stored at a remote area of Brussel’s Zaventem Airport)
Information has emerged while still in Belgium, that the aviation authorities of this EU member state have, given the very controversial revelations of the past days and weeks about this aircraft, extended the ban until at least the end of 2019.
This, by the look of it, is the first CAA to formally extend the flight ban for that long, and being an EU member country is it now likely that this prohibition order will be considered to apply for other EU member states too.
Boeing has been struggling to explain away all the many relevations made in public statements or via the social and professional media, and the latest glitch, another software challenge within the revamped MCAS system, has not helped either. This has reportedly pushed the re-certification process by the FAA back until at least September although many non US aviation authorities have already indicated that they will not necessarily accept the FAA’s recommendations and conduct their own analysis before letting the aircraft back into the skies.
Allegations that Boeing used outsourcing for the initial software development at ridiculously low rates has further dented the manufacturer’s reputation and lent credibility to claims that safety took second seat after profit.
It has also put Boeing’s and the FAA’s initial response of ‘blame the victims‘ in both the Lion Air and the ET crashes into a different perspective.
Boeing’s CEO meanwhile continues to refuse to step down although he bears ultimate responsibility for everything which happened under his watch.
