Boeing 737 Max suspension lifted after safety concerns
Boeing 737 Max aircraft will again be allowed to operate in Australia after the model was temporarily suspended following safety concerns.
A review into accidents involving the aircraft deemed that "return to service" requirements had been met for the planes to continue flying again.
The aircraft had been grounded worldwide after it was involved in two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed as many as 346 people.
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The Boeing 737 Max jets were temporarily banned from flying in Australia following safety concerns. AP
Rescue workers at Bishoftu (Debre Zeit), Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019, where Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 crashed. AP
An issue was detected with the plane's MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. A mandatory fix for the system has since been issued and reviewed.
Acting CEO and Director of Aviation Safety at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Graeme Crawford said he is confident all aircraft are now safe.
"CASA was one of the first civil aviation regulators in the world to suspend Boeing 737 MAX operations. We took early action based on the information we had to ensure our skies remained safe while the cause of the accidents was investigated," Mr Crawford said.
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A member of National Transportation Safety Commitee holds the flight data recorder from the crashed Lion Air jet as Chief of National Search and Rescue Agency Muhammad Syaugi gestures during a press conference on board of a research ship Baruna Jaya anchored in the waters of Tanjung Karawang, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. AP
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane sits on the assembly line in Boeing's 737 assembly facility in Renton, Washington. AP
"We have accepted the comprehensive return-to-service requirements specified by the Federal Aviation Authority as State of Design for the 737 MAX and are confident that the aircraft are safe."
No Australian airlines currently operate Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Only two foreign airlines operate these craft into Australia, including Singapore-based SilkAir (now Singapore Airlines) and Fiji Airways.
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