FAA: Let the Boeing 737 MAX Certification Flight Tests Begin

Boeing 737 MAX

Photo: Andreas Zeitler / shutterstock.com

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After a challenging period of works on all the critical updates, Boeing has been finally given a green light to begin test flights aimed at the re-certification of its 737 MAX aircraft program.

The information was confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to US lawmakers on Sunday. The regulatory body said that a review of Boeing’s safety system assessment for the 737 MAX was completed, therefore, the test flights could begin.

According to the FAA, the circle of test flights will take up to several days, as pilots will try a variety of flight maneuvers and emergency procedures necessary for the authority to determine if the “changes meet FAA certification standards”, CNN reports.

According to a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, the tests are expected to begin later today, Monday, 29 June.

The approval for the test flights to start is a great achievement. Boeing has been working on the updates for over a year now, since the global grounding of the type in March, 2019. The program was grounded over safety concerns following two deadly crashes which killed a total of 346 people in five months.

Boeing hoped to get clearance to fly again a way sooner. Nevertheless, the complexity of the issues, rigorous checks even forced the company to temporarily halt 737 MAX production in January, 2020.