Advertisement
Aviation
WorldUnited States & Canada

US, Europe increasingly divided over return of controversial Boeing 737 MAX, aviation industry leaders warn

  • The aircraft was grounded after being involved in two deadly crashes in the space of five months
  • It has since been the subject of investigations by both American and European regulators

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
A number of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are seen parked near Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, last month. Photo: AFP
Bloomberg
Aviation executives are increasingly worried that a widening split between the US and Europe will extend the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX, sowing confusion and fear as regulators work to approve the resumption of commercial flights after two deadly crashes.
Advertisement

Sounding the alarm this week over the increasingly tenuous alliance were Aengus Kelly, who heads the largest global jet lessor, and United Airlines boss Oscar Munoz. Alexandre de Juniac, leader of the biggest airline trade group, said he was “worried and disappointed” by the lack of unity among regulators. Aircraft-financing pioneer Steven Udvar-Hazy called it “uncharted territory”.

Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap – the largest global jet lessor. Photo: Reuters
Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap – the largest global jet lessor. Photo: Reuters
The regulatory discussions, which had been playing out behind closed doors, spilled into the open after the head of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said this week that his group is conducting its own study of Boeing’s design changes along with a broader review. Under standard procedures used in past accidents, regulators would have delegated authority to the Federal Aviation Administration, which takes the lead in overseeing the US-built MAX.

“The challenge of the moment is certification,” said Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of AerCap Holdings NV. “When will this aeroplane be permitted to fly on a global basis?”

Advertisement

Boeing has said the MAX is still on track to be cleared by US regulators early in the fourth quarter of the year. Southwest Airlines, the largest operator of the plane, thinks the go-ahead is likely to happen in early-to-mid November. Airlines will still need to make a range of preparations to ready the planes after they are approved to fly, and Southwest has removed the MAX from its schedule through to early January.

loading
Advertisement