The American Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that it has notified Boeing Co (Boeing) that only the agency will be able to issue airworthiness certificates for the troubled 737 MAX jet rather than continue to share the role with Boeing as had previously been the case. In addition, the agency has confirmed that it is yet to complete its review of all the changes in the design of the 737 along with pilot training procedures.
The FAA sent a letter to Boeing on Tuesday of this week, advising them that it “has determined that the public interest and safety in air commerce require that the FAA retain authority to issue airworthiness certificates and export certificates of airworthiness for all 737 MAX airplanes.” The agency said it intends to retain the authority to issue airworthiness certificates until such time it feels confident Boeing has “fully functional quality control and verification processes in place” and that other Boeing procedures meet all regulatory standards. “We continue to follow the lead of the FAA and global regulators,” Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in an email. “They will determine when key milestones are achieved and when the fleet and training requirements are certified so the MAX can safely return to service.”
Boeing issued a statement earlier in November indicating it anticipated the FAA would lift the grounding of the 737 MAX around the middle of December, though it did not believe the FAA would complete its review of revised training requirements until January. Among elements that Boeing has to complete prior to obtaining airworthiness for the jet is a certification test flight which has yet to be scheduled, simulator work with international pilots, and completion of a software documentation audit.
