New Zealand approves flights of Boeing 737 MAX, grounded since accidents

Sydney ,Australia, Jun 24 (EFE).- New Zealand announced Thursday it would allow Fiji Airways to resume flights to New Zealand destinations operated by the Boeing 737 MAX, which was grounded in 2019 by several countries following two accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

“We have thoroughly and independently reviewed the work undertaken by Fiji Airways to bring their 737 MAX aircraft back into service and are confident these aircraft are safe to return to operation,” said David Harrison, Deputy Executive Director of New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority.

The measure affects two of the five 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by the Fijian airline, according to a statement from the New Zealand agency.

Harrison said a date had not yet been set for the return of flights between Fiji and New Zealand, due to the closure of borders over Covid-19.

More than 100 countries banned flights or grounded their Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleets, after two fatal accidents suffered by these aircraft, one in October 2018 in Indonesia and another in March 2019 in Ethiopia, which resulted in the death of 346 people.

The bans sparked a crisis at Boeing, which announced in April 2020 it was reducing the production of several of its commercial aircraft, including the 737 MAX, after the American company reported losses of $ 628 million in the first quarter of 2020 due to the pandemic. EFE

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