European test flights for grounded Boeing 737 Max to begin next month
European aviation regulators are set to start test flights for Boeing’s grounded 737 Max aircraft, with the trials due to begin next month.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) today announced that test flights would begin on 7 September, two months after similar trials in the US.
The body said that clearance from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) did not mean the model would automatically qualify for the same status in Europe.
Since March last year, Boeing’s best-selling model has been grounded after two fatal crashes killed a combined 346 people.
A fault in the 737 Max’s flight control system was deemed responsible for the crashes, which plunged the aerospace giant into the worst crisis in its history.
The FAA has put forward a list of changes, including updating the model’s flight control software, revising crew procedures and rerouting internal wiring, that must be implemented before the 737 Max can fly commercially again.
“While Boeing still has some final actions to close off, EASA judges the overall maturity of the re-design process is now sufficient to proceed to flight tests,” the agency said today.
It said that it had been working closely with both the company and US regulators to return the plane to service as soon as possible.
However, progress had been delayed by the travel difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it added.
News of the trials comes a day after it was reported that Boeing and Canada’s transportation watchdog Transport Canada started their own trials yesterday.
Last month Boeing warned that falls in its aircraft production meant that it might be forced into making further job cuts.
It has already said that it will get rid of 10 per cent of its 160,000 strong global workforce.