UAE civil aviation authority considering Boeing 737 Max return

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has confirmed that it is evaluating the return of the Boeing 737 Max to the country.

To that end, it has established a  Return to Service Committee on Boeing 737 Max that includes specialists who are working with their counterparts in the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), reported official news agency WAM on Sunday.

“We will continue to work closely with FAA and EASA on the recertification process,” the GCAA said in a statement.

“The GCAA will issue a Safety Decision stipulating technical requirements to ensure a safe return to service of the Max aircraft and we will also announce our certification timelines in due course.”

UAE carrier flydubai is one of the biggest customers of the Max aircraft, having ordered 250 of the new model narrowbody jets since 2013. It operated 13 Max 8 and Max 9s.

In March 2019, the GCAA banned the operation of all Boeing 737 Max models in UAE airspace as a precautionary measure, following the crash of Ethiopian Airways flight ET 302.

Read: UAE, Kuwait and Oman ban operations of Boeing 737 MAX jets

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark also said last year that Boeing should ‘turn themselves inside out’ in the wake of the 737 Max.

He added that the Max jets were ‘the cash cow of the company on the civil aerospace side’ and believes that ‘they (Boeing) will get it right’, when it comes to resolving the 737 Max fiasco.

Read: Boeing should ‘turn themselves inside out’ after 737 Max crisis – Emirates head

The US Federal Aviation Administration cleared the aircraft to resume flights after changes were made to its design, software and training.