European authorities clear Boeing 737 Max to fly from early 2021

Boeing’s troubled 737 MAX is to be allowed to take to the skies over Europe again from mid-January, the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced on Tuesday in Cologne, German.

The decision follows the green light given to the aircraft last week by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FASA).

EASA is leaving open a window of four weeks for public comment on its decision, with a final ruling expected from the middle of January next year.

The decision follows numerous hardware and software changes and the retraining of pilots on the 737 MAX.

The aircraft was grounded in March 2019 following the death of 346 people in two accidents, one in Indonesia in October 2018 and another in Ethiopia in March 2019.

The main cause of the accidents was considered to be faulty control software that directed the jets towards the ground. Pilots were unable to overpower the automatic settings.

During the relicensing procedure, EASA acted in concert with the FAA and Boeing, but took its own independent decision.

“I am confident that we have left no stone unturned in our assessment of the aircraft with its changed design approach,” EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said. (dpa/NAN)