This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
Boeing Prepares for 737 Max Return to Service ¶
Boeing has announced plans to hire temporary workers to help prepare the grounded 737 Max aircraft for delivery once the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifts its grounding. The new hires will be based at the Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington.
The FAA grounded the 737 Max in March after a fatal crash in Ethiopia, which was the second such incident in five months. The crashes were blamed on an automated system meant to prevent the plane from stalling, but which was erroneously activated.
Because many of the jets will have been in storage for at least six months by the time the grounding is lifted, they will require extensive maintenance checks and test flights. Boeing is looking for avionics technicians, aircraft mechanics, electricians, and other positions to assist with the process.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has said that the planemaker expects to submit its fix to the FAA in September, and predicts that the plane will be approved to reenter service in early November. However, some family members of crash victims have expressed concerns that Boeing and the FAA are rushing the process.
Nadia Milleron, whose daughter was killed in the second crash, said that a lack of transparency from the FAA has her and her family concerned that the software fix won't be vetted as thoroughly as possible. "It's like they all know each other, like they talk to each other all the time," she said. "Many people in the FAA are close with Boeing."
Michael Stumo, Samya's father, added that the process seems like "rushing and steamrolling rather than for safety." He and Milleron have advocated for the FAA to require that pilots undergo simulator training before being allowed to fly the Max commercially.
