Boeing 737 MAX: China’s flight ban won’t be lifted until safety concerns ‘properly addressed’
- The Civil Aviation Administration of China says it still has concerns with Boeing’s 737 MAX, but cooperation with the US firm has been positive
- China will not lift its flight ban until design modifications are recertified, pilots are sufficiently trained and findings into two deadly crashes are released
China’s aviation regulator said on Monday that major safety concerns with Boeing’s 737 MAX “have not yet been fully resolved”, in a sign the model is still a long way from returning to service in its largest market.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) was working closely with the American planemaker, as well as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and had conducted comprehensive, in-depth technical reviews of the model, said deputy director Dong Zhiyi at a press conference on Monday.
“The cooperation between us is positive and progressing in an orderly manner,” he said. “After the major safety concerns of China get properly addressed, we will carry out certification test flights in a step-by-step and planned way.”
China was the first country to ground the 737 MAX planes in the aftermath of two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
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The CAAC has been much more cautious than its counterparts in the West in allowing the planes return to service.