US aviation watchdog says no timeframe set for finishing work on Boeing 737

As many airlines worldwide await the final word on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the US aviation watchdog FAA has said a "thorough process" is being followed for testing the plane but no timeframe has been set for completion of the work.

In the wake of two fatal accidents involving MAX planes, regulators across the globe, in 2019, imposed a ban on flying these fuel-efficient aircraft. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also ordered grounding of these planes in India.

Since then, Boeing has been working on addressing the problems with MAX aircraft.

In India, SpiceJet is the only domestic carrier having MAX aircraft in its fleet. The budget airline grounded 13 737 MAX planes in March last year.

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the regulator is following a thorough process for returning the Boeing 737 MAX to passenger service.

"We continue to work with other international aviation safety regulators to review the proposed changes to the aircraft. Our first priority is safety, and we have set no timeframe for when the work will be completed," the spokesperson told PTI.

For several weeks, testing of various types are being done on the proposed modifications to the aircraft flight control system. The process would continue in the coming weeks until certification is complete.

A senior airline official said test flight of MAX plane is likely to be done by the FAA and the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) together in January, possibly in the third week. Once the test flights are successfully completed, then it might take at least one month for certification process, the official added.

The airline is a MAX aircraft customer.

Queries sent to Boeing, EASA and SpiceJet regarding MAX planes did not elicit any immediate response.

In December, Boeing announced suspension of 737 MAX production starting in January due to certification moving into 2020.

Jet Airways, which was shuttered in April 2019, was also operating these planes.

In December, aviation consultancy CAPA India said the continued grounding of the 737 MAX has had a significant impact on SpiceJet.

This is because of the inability to benefit from the improved fuel efficiency of the aircraft or to access the sale-and-leaseback revenue generated from their induction, it had said in a report.

In March 2019, a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines' 737 MAX aircraft crashed after taking off from Addis Ababa and killed 157 people. The fatal incident came less than five months after a 737 MAX plane, operated by Lion Air, crashed, killing over 180 people in Indonesia in October 2018.

Airlines want joint lifting of 737 MAX ban, EU reserves right to decide

Global airlines urged regulators on Sunday to coordinate on software changes to the Boeing 737 MAX, thus avoiding damaging splits over safety seen when the aircraft was grounded in March.

The International Air Transport Association, whose 290 carriers account for 80 percent of world flying, said trust in the certification system had been damaged by a wave of separate decisions to ground the jet, with the US last to act.

Airlines are worried further splits between regulators over safety could confuse passengers and cause disruption.

"Any rift between regulators is not in anyone's interest," director general Alexandre de Juniac told an IATA annual meeting in Seoul.

Boeing's best-selling jet was grounded in March after two crashes over five months killed a total of 346 people.

The Federal Aviation Administration initially resisted the decisions led by China, then Europe and others, to ground the plane, but later followed suit.

Airline officials say any new bout of staggered decisions could cause problems in operations and code-sharing.

But the European Union's top transport official said it reserved the right to plot its own course. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has emerged as one of the toughest regulators during the crisis.

"Certainly EASA will take a very close look at the results (of proposed design changes) and then make a decision and that message was very clearly passed," Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc told Reuters.

"We always work together with other regulators and we certainly will take joint moves, but EASA will reserve the right to take an individual look at the results and then of course engage with the rest of the regulators."

Asked how long it would take to end the crisis, she said, "I hope as soon as possible, because we do need to restore order and trust and move on."

The FAA says it has no target but has indicated privately to other regulators that it aims to certify new software by end-June, after which it could take weeks to get planes flying.

However, Tim Clark, president of Emirates, one of the world's largest airlines, warned it could take six months to restore operations as other regulators re-examine a practice of taking their cue from the FAA on Boeing jets.

"That is why it is going to take time to get this aircraft back in the air.

If it is in the air by Christmas I'll be surprised - my own view," he told reporters.

A person familiar with the plans said the FAA wanted an "orderly" process, with a steady sequence of approvals rather than one global decision. If confirmed that could see 737 MAX aircraft back in the air this summer, the person said.

SpiceJet falls 8% after DGCA orders grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

Shares of SpiceJet slipped as much as 7.99 per cent to Rs 72.50 in the early trade on Wednesday after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, grounded Boeing 737 MAX planes following the fatal crash of a plane of the same model in Ethiopia that killed 157 people.

“Passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted late Tuesday night. “These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations.”

Jet Airways and SpiceJet operate Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

There are 18 Boeing 737 Max planes in India — 13 of them with SpiceJet and five with Jet Airways. Jet’s Max planes are grounded because of non-payment of lease rent, while SpiceJet said it had suspended the aircraft’s operations after the DGCA’s decision. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REPORT

At 09:43 am, shares of the low-cost carrier were trading nearly 5 per cent lower at Rs 75.10 apiece on BSE. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was trading over 90 points higher at 37,627 levels.

A raft of countries have issued a blanket ban on the 737 Max aircraft, following the crash. As a result, shares of Boeing took another beating on Tuesday on the US stock markets. Boeing shares fell 6.1 per cent in the overnight trade, bringing losses to 11.15 per cent since the crash, the steepest two-day loss for the stock since July 2009. The drop has lopped $26.65 billion off Boeing’s market value, Reuters reported.