China To Join FAA 737 MAX Review Panel

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, April 09, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

China, the first country to ground the Boeing 737 MAX, is set to join the FAA's international review panel for the aircraft.
The panel, led by former NTSB chairman Christopher Hart, was formed due to international skepticism regarding the 737 MAX's original certification process, particularly its MCAS stability system.
Regulators from EASA, Canada, UAE, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Ethiopia, and Indonesia will also participate in the review, which is expected to last about three months.
Chinese airlines operate a significant portion of the global 737 MAX fleet, with 97 of the 371 aircraft in circulation.

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China, the first country to ground the Boeing 737 MAX after the fatal crash of Ethiopian Flight 102 last month, is set to join the FAA’s review panel. Former NTSB chairman Christopher Hart is running the program, which is expected to run for about three months. The FAA agreed to create an international review board last week as the aviation authorities in several countries indicated skepticism at the certification process that approved the 737 MCAS stability system in the first place.

China joins the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and regulators from Canada, UAE, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Ethiopia and Indonesia on the review panel. Of the 371 737 MAX aircraft in circulation, Chinese airlines operate 97 of them. Southwest Airlines has the largest U.S. fleet, at 34 aircraft.