The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which had been grounded after being involved in two deadly crashes, has been put back into service after 10 months of inactivity.
Last March, after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash killed 157 passengers and crew, the model was taken off active duty worldwide. The downtime was ordered following a comprehensive investigation that revealed that there were software problems in the model that caused the aircraft to lose altitude uncontrollably. Another crash was caused in October 2018 when an aircraft of the same model from the Indonesian company Lion Air crashed, causing the deaths of 189 passengers and crew.
Today, about eight months after being taken offline, after addressing the problems that led to the malfunctions, the various airlines around the world are preparing to return the model to service. It is estimated that there are some 370 aircraft of this model that will be able to reduce a significant load from the various companies, which to date have had to find suitable replacements for the aging parts of their regular fleets.. In addition, Boeing longs for a return to aircraft operations, as there are quite a few future orders for this model aircraft that have been put on hold.
Boeing hopes to resume sales of the model in December. Various Airlines, including American Airlines and United Airlines, have stated that they intend.to begin using the model in March 2020.
Not all are happy with the return of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Association of Professional Flight Attendants resident Lori Bassani told reporters last week: “I hear from some flight attendants every day and they are begging me to not make them go back up in that airplane."
"We want to know without a doubt that it’s safe to fly,” Bassani added.