Indonesia signaled to ground Boeing 737 Max until next year, underscoring two fatal crashes faced by Lion Air in the Java Sea when plunged the first time in Oct 2018 and second Max crashed in Ethiopia less than five months later.
Even after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clears the plane to return to service, Indonesia will make its own determination based on its review of the proposed fixes.
Director General of Civil Aviation Polana Pramesti said pilots in the country – where the first 737 Max crashed when a Lion Air plane plunged into the Java Sea – will also have to undergo more stringent mandatory training than in the past before they are allowed to fly the jet.
The chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines Co., the largest operator of the Max, said last week he was hopeful the jet could come back to service this summer.
Boeing reportedly has completed updating the software, the associated simulator testing, and the engineering test flight. The United States plane maker will work with the FAA to schedule its certification test flight and submit the final documentation.
