China Raises Concerns on Boeing's 737 MAX Proposed Changes -- Update
December 12 2019 - 9:38AM
Dow Jones News
BEIJING -- China's aviation regulator has raised concerns with
Boeing Co. about the reliability and security of the plane maker's
proposed changes to the 737 MAX jet's software and flight control
systems 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.
Mr. Liu didn't specify the concerns but 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 the
investigation into the two fatal accidents that led to the
grounding of the jet, along with a plan to avoid future
incidents.
China's requirements add to a list of regulatory requests Boeing
must satisfy before the 737 MAX returns to service around the
globe. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to approve
MAX fixes and new pilot training in the first quarter, following a
string of delays. The FAA has been expected to unground the
airplane first, with Brazilian, Canadian and European regulators
soon to follow.
A Boeing spokesman said Thursday the company continues to work
with the FAA, the CAAC and other global regulators to address their
concerns in hopes of returning the jets to service. Boeing has said
the global ungrounding could take more than a year.
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 09:23 ET (14:23 GMT)
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