China Raises Concerns on Boeing's 737 MAX Proposed Changes
December 12 2019 - 9:10AM
Dow Jones News
BEIJING -- China's aviation regulator has raised concerns about
the reliability and security of Boeing Co.'s proposed changes to
the 737 MAX jet's software and flight control systems needed to put
the plane back in service.
China, the first to ground the 737 MAX jetliner this year, is
reviewing the airworthiness of the aircraft in accordance with
protocols agreed to by China and the U.S., Liu Lusong, spokesman of
the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told a media briefing
Thursday.
Ms. Liu didn't specify the concerns.
Mr. Liu said China is sticking to three requirements that it had
laid out earlier for resuming the operations of the 737 MAX in the
country: Beijing's approval of any design changes, a comprehensive
and effective training program for pilots and the publication of
clear conclusions on Boeing's investigation into the two fatal
accidents that led to the grounding of the jet, along with a plan
to avoid future incidents.
A Boeing spokesman said Thursday the company continues to work
with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the CAAC and other
global regulators to address their concerns in hopes of returning
the jets to service.
Boeing's 737 MAX was grounded after two crashes in less than
five months killed a total of 346 people. The plane maker has
struggled with a final fix to the model's software and
flight-control system and is seeking approval from global
regulators to get the aircraft back in the air.
China was the first nation to ground the 737 MAX after the
second crash, of an Ethiopian Airlines plane, in March. China's
commercial airlines had hundreds of 737 MAX planes on order at the
time of the crash.
The caution from Chinese regulators could give a further opening
to Boeing's competitors. In addition to European rival Airbus SE,
which has aggressively courted China's leaders and won some large
orders in China, Boeing also faces a homegrown challenger in the
C919, which is still being tested ahead of a 2021 rollout and has
already secured some orders at home.
Raffaele Huang
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 12, 2019 08:55 ET (13:55 GMT)
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