US aviation regulators plan to require Boeing to rewire all 737 MAX aircraft before allowing the troubled planes fly again, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The MAX has been grounded worldwide since an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after take-off last March, less than six months after the same model was involved in a similar fatal accident in Indonesia.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-report-on-737-max-crash-faults-boeing-design-says-lion-air-made-mistakes-258127">&nbsp;Indonesia report on 737 MAX crash faults Boeing design, says Lion Air made mistakes</a>

Both accidents saw uncontrolled drops in the aircraft's nose in the moments before the planes crashed, which investigators have blamed on the model's anti-stall flight system.&nbsp;

Regulators have since concluded that the current wiring layout violated safety standards to prevent short-circuits that could cause similar sharp drops in aircraft pitch, the newspaper said Sunday.

The order to modify the wiring would apply to the nearly 800 MAX plans already produced, including those already in the hands of airlines, according to the report.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-issue-with-boeing-737-maxs-computer-software-discovered-sources-275070">New issue with Boeing 737 Max's computer software discovered: Sources</a>

The Federal Aviation Authority said in a statement that it was working with the company to "address a recently discovered wiring issue" on the aircraft but did not confirm the Journal's report.

"The aircraft will be cleared for return to passenger service only after the FAA is satisfied that all safety-related issues are addressed," it added.

Boeing told AFP it was discussing the wiring issue with regulators but still expected the planes to return to service mid-year.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://13.235.153.162/videos/federal-aviation-administration-proposes-54-mn-fine-on-boeing-company-273633/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

All 157 people aboard the Ethiopian Airlines jet were killed when it crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa last March.&nbsp;

It followed the October 2018 crash of a 737 MAX operated by Lion Air in Indonesia, which killed 189 people when it crashed moments after leaving Jakarta airport.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/phased-ungrounding-of-boeing-737-max-possible-ceo-muilenburg-249083">Phased ungrounding of Boeing 737 MAX possible: CEO Muilenburg</a>

Boeing was accused of brushing off the concerns of engineers to release a "fundamentally flawed" aircraft by a damning US congressional report earlier this month.&nbsp;

The investigation also said the FAA had failed to exercise its oversight of the company and ignored warnings about the aircraft's safety flaws from its own experts. 
&nbsp;

US aviation regulators plan to require Boeing to rewire all 737 MAX aircraft before allowing the troubled planes fly again, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

US aviation regulators plan to require Boeing to rewire all 737 MAX aircraft before allowing the troubled planes fly again, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The MAX has been grounded worldwide since an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after take-off last March, less than six months after the same model was involved in a similar fatal accident in Indonesia. Also Read: Indonesia report on 737 MAX crash faults Boeing design, says Lion Air made mistakes Both accidents saw uncontrolled drops in the aircraft's nose in the moments before the planes crashed, which investigators have blamed on the model's anti-stall flight system. Regulators have since concluded that the current wiring layout violated safety standards to prevent short-circuits that could cause similar sharp drops in aircraft pitch, the newspaper said Sunday. The order to modify the wiring would apply to the nearly 800 MAX plans already produced, including those already in the hands of airlines, according to the report. Also Read: New issue with Boeing 737 Max's computer software discovered: Sources The Federal Aviation Authority said in a statement that it was working with the company to "address a recently discovered wiring issue" on the aircraft but did not confirm the Journal's report. "The aircraft will be cleared for return to passenger service only after the FAA is satisfied that all safety-related issues are addressed," it added. Boeing told AFP it was discussing the wiring issue with regulators but still expected the planes to return to service mid-year. × All 157 people aboard the Ethiopian Airlines jet were killed when it crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa last March. It followed the October 2018 crash of a 737 MAX operated by Lion Air in Indonesia, which killed 189 people when it crashed moments after leaving Jakarta airport. Also Read: Phased ungrounding of Boeing 737 MAX possible: CEO Muilenburg Boeing was accused of brushing off the concerns of engineers to release a "fundamentally flawed" aircraft by a damning US congressional report earlier this month. The investigation also said the FAA had failed to exercise its oversight of the company and ignored warnings about the aircraft's safety flaws from its own experts.

US regulators to force Boeing to rewire 737 MAX jets: Report

Qatar Airways plans to seek compensation from Boeing over the grounding of three 737 MAX aircraft by Italian airline Air Italy, where the Qatari company is a major shareholder, group chief executive Akbar al-Baker told.

Boeing MAX jets have been grounded worldwide and airlines are cancelling multimillion contracts following crashes in October and March that killed nearly 350 people.

"At Qatar Airways we do not operate any MAX airplanes – it affected our investment into Air Italy. Air Italy has three MAX operated in its fleet and they were grounded so it affected us – we had to take extra routing from outside," al-Baker said.

In 2017, Qatar purchased 49% of Air Italy, Italy's second largest carrier behind Alitalia, which, in turn, is partly owned by Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways.

"Boeing has to compensate us for grounding," al-Baker said, but did not elaborate on the potential cost.

In Russia, Qatar Airways is in talks to buy a 20% stake in Vnukovo airport, Moscow's third largest by passenger traffic.

Al-Baker said Qatar Airways was looking to close the deal "sometime before the end of the year."

Last year, Vnukovo's handled around 21 million passengers, compared with 29 million at Domodedovo and almost 46 million at Sheremetyevo, Russia's biggest airport and one of the busiest in Europe.

"Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo are already congested and the only airport that has an expansion opportunity is Vnukovo," Al-Baker said.

"We see a huge potential to grow the airport to bring more traffic, to intensify traffic, to grow there, to increase the duty free footprint."

Asked if Qatar Airways could consider acquiring a stake in Sheremetyevo, 30% of which may be on offer by the airport's private shareholders, Al-Baker said: "We cannot do more than one airport at the same place."

At home, at Hamad International Airport in Doha, passenger traffic was at around 35 million people last year.

"This year we hope that we will exceed 42 million passengers but during the blockade we did lose nearly 10% of the traffic because it was all of a sudden. But we have recovered now," Al-Baker said.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an economic and diplomatic boycott on Qatar in 2017 over allegations that Qatar supports terrorism and is aligning itself with regional foe Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.

Qatar Airways plans to seek compensation from Boeing over the grounding of three 737 MAX aircraft by Italian airline Air Italy, where the Qatari company is a major shareholder, group chief executive Akbar al-Baker told.

Qatar Airways plans to seek compensation from Boeing over the grounding of three 737 MAX aircraft by Italian airline Air Italy, where the Qatari company is a major shareholder, group chief executive Akbar al-Baker told. Boeing MAX jets have been grounded worldwide and airlines are cancelling multimillion contracts following crashes in October and March that killed nearly 350 people. "At Qatar Airways we do not operate any MAX airplanes – it affected our investment into Air Italy. Air Italy has three MAX operated in its fleet and they were grounded so it affected us – we had to take extra routing from outside," al-Baker said. In 2017, Qatar purchased 49% of Air Italy, Italy's second largest carrier behind Alitalia, which, in turn, is partly owned by Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. "Boeing has to compensate us for grounding," al-Baker said, but did not elaborate on the potential cost. In Russia, Qatar Airways is in talks to buy a 20% stake in Vnukovo airport, Moscow's third largest by passenger traffic. Al-Baker said Qatar Airways was looking to close the deal "sometime before the end of the year." Last year, Vnukovo's handled around 21 million passengers, compared with 29 million at Domodedovo and almost 46 million at Sheremetyevo, Russia's biggest airport and one of the busiest in Europe. "Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo are already congested and the only airport that has an expansion opportunity is Vnukovo," Al-Baker said. "We see a huge potential to grow the airport to bring more traffic, to intensify traffic, to grow there, to increase the duty free footprint." Asked if Qatar Airways could consider acquiring a stake in Sheremetyevo, 30% of which may be on offer by the airport's private shareholders, Al-Baker said: "We cannot do more than one airport at the same place." At home, at Hamad International Airport in Doha, passenger traffic was at around 35 million people last year. "This year we hope that we will exceed 42 million passengers but during the blockade we did lose nearly 10% of the traffic because it was all of a sudden. But we have recovered now," Al-Baker said. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an economic and diplomatic boycott on Qatar in 2017 over allegations that Qatar supports terrorism and is aligning itself with regional foe Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.

Qatar Airways to seek compensation from Boeing over MAX grounding

Civil aviation regulators from around the world failed to make a determination Thursday on when Boeing's popular 737 MAX aircraft can return to the skies after being grounded following two deadly crashes.

"The only timetable is to make sure the aircraft is safe to fly," Daniel Elwell, acting head of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/faa-bans-low-flights-over-venezuelas-airspace-citing-political-instability-215037">US Federal Aviation Administration</a>, said at the conclusion of the day-long meeting in Texas.

There was "enthusiastic agreement to continue the dialogue," he said, but acknowledged that "each country has to make its own decision."

"If they unground relatively close to when we unground I think it would help with public confidence," Elwell said while adding that: "We can't be driven by some arbitrary timeline."

Until the 737 MAX crashes in Ethiopia in March and Indonesia in October which left a combined 346 people dead, the common practice was that air regulators would follow the assessment of the agency overseeing the model, in this case, the FAA.

On Wednesday, Elwell threw cold water on hopes of a speedy resolution, after revealing that Boeing had held off submitting a proposed software fix for review after his agency raised additional questions.

Investigators have focused on the MAX's anti-stall Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System in inquiries into the two deadly crashes.

Boeing last week said the MCAS update was ready for the certification process, and US airlines were hoping the planes could be back in the skies in time for part of the summer travel season.

But Elwell on Thursday said the process could take one month, two months or longer.

"It is all determined by what we find in our analysis of the application," he said on CNBC.

Once Boeing has submitted all documentation, the FAA will conduct a test flight and detailed analysis to evaluate the safety of the software.

Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at Teal Group, said Boeing wants to avoid having to repeat the process.

"There's a lot at stake in terms of the first impression by the world's regulators," he told AFP.

US air carriers that operate the 737 MAX, including American Airlines, Southwest and United, have said they hope to have the planes flying again by mid-August at the latest.

But the FAA's reputation has taken a beating since the March crash and faced accusations of an overly cosy relationship with the aviation giant. Other aviation authorities now appear less likely to follow the US agency.

Michel Merluzeau of Air Insight Research said American officials could end the 737 MAX's grounding toward the end of summer, with authorities in other countries following suit "several months" later.

"We're headed for a return to service that could drag on in time," he said.

'Frank discussion'&nbsp;

Elwell said regulators also have yet to decide on changes to pilot training once the adjustments have been approved.

The United States has differed with a number of countries on this issue, including Canada. Washington believes training on computers or tablets is sufficient for seasoned pilots but Ottawa wants to require training on flight simulators.

The European Aviation Safety Agency, Canada and Brazil are among countries saying they will conduct their own evaluations of the MCAS fix.

What China, the first country to ground the 737 MAX, will do is also an unknown given the flare-up in trade frictions with the United States.

About five dozen representatives from 33 countries accepted the FAA's invitation to attend the regulators' conference in Texas.&nbsp;

Elwell said the closed-door meeting involved "frank questions and a frank discussion," adding that his counterparts wanted "clarifications" on US procedures.

Regaining public trust will take time, according to opinion polls conducted by Southwest showing that many passengers are not yet ready to get back aboard a 737 MAX jet. And pilots also have qualms.

"Before the Boeing MAX's return to service, we need answers and transparency," the European Cockpit Association said Thursday in a statement.

The organization, which represents 38,000 pilots from 36 countries, said it was "deeply disturbing" that the FAA and Boeing were considering a return to service while not disclosing "the many challenging questions prompted by the MAX design philosophy."

Beyond Boeing's reputation, the 737 MAX crisis comes at a major financial cost, given that the plane represented 80 per cent of the company's order backlog as of the end of last month.

The company, which has suspended deliveries, is only paid at the moment of delivery and will have to indemnify air carriers for losses.

Civil aviation regulators from around the world failed to make a determination Thursday on when Boeing's popular 737 MAX aircraft can return to the skies after being grounded following two deadly crashes.

Civil aviation regulators from around the world failed to make a determination Thursday on when Boeing's popular 737 MAX aircraft can return to the skies after being grounded following two deadly crashes. "The only timetable is to make sure the aircraft is safe to fly," Daniel Elwell, acting head of the US Federal Aviation Administration, said at the conclusion of the day-long meeting in Texas. There was "enthusiastic agreement to continue the dialogue," he said, but acknowledged that "each country has to make its own decision." "If they unground relatively close to when we unground I think it would help with public confidence," Elwell said while adding that: "We can't be driven by some arbitrary timeline." Until the 737 MAX crashes in Ethiopia in March and Indonesia in October which left a combined 346 people dead, the common practice was that air regulators would follow the assessment of the agency overseeing the model, in this case, the FAA. On Wednesday, Elwell threw cold water on hopes of a speedy resolution, after revealing that Boeing had held off submitting a proposed software fix for review after his agency raised additional questions. Investigators have focused on the MAX's anti-stall Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System in inquiries into the two deadly crashes. Boeing last week said the MCAS update was ready for the certification process, and US airlines were hoping the planes could be back in the skies in time for part of the summer travel season. But Elwell on Thursday said the process could take one month, two months or longer. "It is all determined by what we find in our analysis of the application," he said on CNBC. Once Boeing has submitted all documentation, the FAA will conduct a test flight and detailed analysis to evaluate the safety of the software. Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at Teal Group, said Boeing wants to avoid having to repeat the process. "There's a lot at stake in terms of the first impression by the world's regulators," he told AFP. US air carriers that operate the 737 MAX, including American Airlines, Southwest and United, have said they hope to have the planes flying again by mid-August at the latest. But the FAA's reputation has taken a beating since the March crash and faced accusations of an overly cosy relationship with the aviation giant. Other aviation authorities now appear less likely to follow the US agency. Michel Merluzeau of Air Insight Research said American officials could end the 737 MAX's grounding toward the end of summer, with authorities in other countries following suit "several months" later. "We're headed for a return to service that could drag on in time," he said. 'Frank discussion' Elwell said regulators also have yet to decide on changes to pilot training once the adjustments have been approved. The United States has differed with a number of countries on this issue, including Canada. Washington believes training on computers or tablets is sufficient for seasoned pilots but Ottawa wants to require training on flight simulators. The European Aviation Safety Agency, Canada and Brazil are among countries saying they will conduct their own evaluations of the MCAS fix. What China, the first country to ground the 737 MAX, will do is also an unknown given the flare-up in trade frictions with the United States. About five dozen representatives from 33 countries accepted the FAA's invitation to attend the regulators' conference in Texas. Elwell said the closed-door meeting involved "frank questions and a frank discussion," adding that his counterparts wanted "clarifications" on US procedures. Regaining public trust will take time, according to opinion polls conducted by Southwest showing that many passengers are not yet ready to get back aboard a 737 MAX jet. And pilots also have qualms. "Before the Boeing MAX's return to service, we need answers and transparency," the European Cockpit Association said Thursday in a statement. The organization, which represents 38,000 pilots from 36 countries, said it was "deeply disturbing" that the FAA and Boeing were considering a return to service while not disclosing "the many challenging questions prompted by the MAX design philosophy." Beyond Boeing's reputation, the 737 MAX crisis comes at a major financial cost, given that the plane represented 80 per cent of the company's order backlog as of the end of last month. The company, which has suspended deliveries, is only paid at the moment of delivery and will have to indemnify air carriers for losses.

Regulators fail to set date for 737 MAX return to service

737-max-aircraft

737 Max Aircraft, News on 737 Max Aircraft, stories on 737 Max Aircraft, articles on 737 Max Aircraft, 737 Max Aircraft stories at Wion, 737 Max Aircraft news, 737 Max Aircraft latest news

737 max-aircraft

US regulators to force Boeing to rewire 737 MAX jets: Report

Qatar Airways to seek compensation from Boeing over MAX grounding

Regulators fail to set date for 737 MAX return to service