Boeing Faces Pressure From Airlines On 737 MAX Grounding At IATA AGM - Forbes

As the global grounding of the 737 MAX continues, Boeing faces pressure from the world’s airlines at the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Seoul.

Boeing 737-8 MAX Landing at Seattle's Boeing Field after a successful Maiden Flight for this new airliner.

Getty

The prolonged process of review and acceptance of Boeing’s software patch for the MCAS system has prolonged the timeline for regulators lift the grounding and airlines are feeling the effects.

“The prolonged grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft is taking its toll,” Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO of IATA told reporters in a briefing ahead of AGM. 

De Juniac predicted that the aircraft grounding will now extend to August.

“We do not expect something before 10 to 12 weeks in re-entry into service,” Reuters quotes de Juniac as saying. “But it is not our hands. That is in the hands of regulators.”

There is still no consensus among regulators which puts any predictions at risk. Last week, FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell said of the ongoing deliberations: “If not in one meeting in Ft. Worth, we are comparing notes in symposiums around the world, we’re in web-based conferences, or we simply pick up the phone.”  

But dialogue aside, there are still many steps remaining in the approvals process.

“What happens next is that, here in the U.S., we await Boeing’s completed for changes to the MAX. Once received we perform our final risk assessments and analyses, taking into account findings of the TAB and any information we receive from our international counterparts. We’ll also take part in test flights of a modified 737 MAX and weigh all the information together before making the decision to return the aircraft to service,” Elwell said. “Internationally, each country has to make its own decisions, but the FAA will make available to our counterparts all that we have learned, all that we have done, and all of our assistance under our International Civil Aviation Organization commitments.”

The regulatory rift created by the initial decision of global counterparts to ground the plane before the FAA did so, and despite the FAA’s initial advisory that a grounding was not warranted, can only be resolved through consensus. Any unilateral action by the FAA, with the approvals process for the aircraft under intense scrutiny, could be interpreted as compromise. Boeing doesn’t just need the FAA to say that the aircraft is air-worthy. Boeing truly needs global regulators to agree.

For its part, Europe’s aviation safety regulator, EASA, has already told the European Council that it will not approve 737 MAX operations without full confidence in its safety.

The FAA’s approach has been to reassure peers that it is openly sharing information. “As all of us work through this rigorous process, we will continue to be transparent and exchange all that we know and all that we do—to strengthen the public’s confidence that the aircraft will meet the highest safety standards,” Elwell said.

In a statement published last week, Boeing echoed this sentiment:

“We appreciate the FAA's leadership in taking this important step in bringing global regulators together to share information and discuss the safe return to service of the 737 MAX. Our team, our airline customers, and regulators place the highest priority on the safety of the flying public. Once we have addressed the information requests from the FAA, we will be ready to schedule a certification test flight and submit final certification documentation.”

For its part, Southwest Airlines has made a subtle decision on the 737 MAX which not only reflects consumer concern over the plane, but also the airline’s expectation that the grounding might be extended. As aviation industry watchers noted, the airline has replaced its safety cards listing both the 737-800 NG and 737-8 MAX (the two aircraft have common cabin features which means the safety instructions are comparable) with ones that eliminate any doubt in passengers mind on which aircraft they are flying.

https://twitter.com/airlineflyer/status/1133431364706066433?s=21

This follows repeated questions from flyers to the airline on social media raised by the dual-use cards.

If anything takes more time in aviation than establishing regulatory standards, it is reaching consensus on standards and tests. While all parties may be eager to move forward, and sign off on the 737 MAX, no regulator will want to answer for any future failure of the plane. De Juniac’s 10-12 week prediction may be correct. It might also be optimistic.

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May 30, 2019 at 02:41AM