https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/07/boei...al-delays.html
Boeing recommends simulator training for 737 Max, which could cause additional delays
Published Tue, Jan 7 20201:46 PM ESTUpdated 24 min ago
GP: Boeing Holds A Press Conference Addressing The 737 MAX Software And Training Update
Boeing on Tuesday recommended pilots of the 737 Max undergo simulator training before the beleaguered jets can return to service, a step that could lead to further delays for airline customers.
“This recommendation takes into account our unstinting commitment to the safe return of service as well as changes to the airplane and test results,” Boeing said in a statement. “Final determination will be established by the regulators.”
The decision is a sharp shift for Boeing, which had previously expected training to be computer-based. Easily transitioning pilots from older models of the 737 to the Max when it debuted in 2017 was a key selling point for the plane. Boeing had offered Southwest, its biggest U.S. Max customer, a rebate of $1 million per plane if simulator training was needed when it sold the Dallas-based carrier the aircraft.
The planes have been grounded since mid-March after two fatal crashes in a span of five months killed 346 people. Boeing has developed a software fix for the planes after flight-control program was implicated in both crashes, but regulators have repeatedly said they have no firm timeline to allow the jets to fly again.
“The agency will consider Boeing’s recommendations for flight crew simulator training during the upcoming Joint Operations Evaluation Board,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement, referring to a group of U.S. and international 737 pilots form airlines that operate the Max.
Data from those tests will inform the FAA’s official training recommendations, the FAA said.
“The agency will not approve the aircraft for return to service until all parts of the certification process are completed to its satisfaction,” it said.