Miami (US): Paying passengers were scheduled to board Tuesday a Boeing 737 Max from here. This is the first time since safety regulators allowed the Boeing 737 Max plane to fly again after two deadly crashes. The American Airlines flight is scheduled to land at New York’s LaGuardia Airport with about 100 passengers aboard, according to an airline spokeswoman. The airline will give customers the chance to change flights if they don’t want to fly on the Max.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration approved changes that Boeing made to an automated flight-control system. It was this system that was held responsible for the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. In the two crashes 346 people were killed.
In both crashes, the system pushed the nose down repeatedly based on faulty sensor readings, and pilots were unable to regain control.
Regulators in Europe and Brazil have also cleared the way for airlines to resume using the plane. However, they have to make certain changes and provide additional training for pilots.
The first passenger flight with a revamped Max took place this month in Brazil. Brazil’s ‘Gol Airlines’ and ‘Aeromexico’ have operated dozens of Max flights.
The Max was grounded worldwide in March 2019, days after the second crash. Reports by House and Senate committees faulted Boeing and the FAA for failures in the process of certifying the plane.
FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson, a former military and airline pilot, operated a test flight in September. He then vouched for the plane’s safety and said he would put his family on it.
American Airlines plans to make one round trip a day between Miami and New York with the planes through January 4. After that it will put the Boeing 737 Max on other routes.