The Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has expressed confidence in Boeing’s 737 MAX airworthiness, saying that the design changes make the plane “safe.”
Patrick Ky expects the MAX to return to Europe’s skies by December, assuming that all Airworthiness Directives have been satisfied. In an interview with Bloomberg, Mr Ky promised that public comment will also play a role in the MAX’s recertification.
“Our analysis is showing that this is safe and the level of safety reached is high enough for us… What we discussed with Boeing is the fact that with the third sensor, we could reach even higher safety levels.”
Although the EASA is saying that a much-needed synthetic sensor system will take 20-24 months to complete, Mr Ky is confident that the current MCAS software fixes will be satisfactory for air transport operations.
Under international law, the US FAA must re-certify the MAX before the EASA. Boeing’s final submissions are expected soon, according to a Bloomberg source.
Boeing lost another three orders for the grounded 737 Max in September, and delivered 11 total aircraft to customers.
This gives the US FAA political cover. The EASA provisionally approved the return of the MAX first, before the FAA.