Southwest Airlines resumes Boeing 737 Max flights
Almost two years exactly since the Boeing 737 Max was grounded in the US, Southwest Airlines put the airplane back into service Thursday. The low-cost carrier is the last US airline to resume Max passenger flights, following similar decisions by American and United, and Alaska's move to add the airliner to its fleet.
In a statement posted Wednesday, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said he experienced a quiet and smooth ride when he joined one of the more than 200 Max readiness flights that the airline has conducted since late last year. "To be clear, I have the utmost confidence in our ability to safely operate the Boeing 737 MAX," he said. "I hope you will be reassured, as I am, to know all that has gone into making the MAX among the most-reviewed planes in the world."
On March 13, 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded the 737 Max in the US, becoming the last major country in the world to ground the plane. The decision came after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a combined total of 346 people.
The FAA lifted the grounded order 18 months later, on Nov. 19, on the condition that Boeing and airlines modify the flight control system blamed for both crashes and increase pilot training. In his March 10 statement, Kelly detailed the software changes and said Southwest's pilots will complete simulator training before being allowed back into the cockpit.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/southwest-airlines-resumes-boeing-737-max-flights/ar-BB1euZ03?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=DELLDHP
