The CEO of Flydubai on Thursday said he has “full confidence” in the Boeing 737 Max as the low-cost carrier prepares to welcome the aircraft back into its operational fleet.
The UAE’s aviation regulator on Wednesday lifted the ban of the aircraft nearly two years after being grounded globally following two fatal crashes.
Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “The Boeing 737 Max is an integral part of Flydubai’s fleet and I have full confidence in the aircraft as it returns to passenger service. Safety is the founding principle of our business. We said that we would only return the aircraft to service when it was safe to do so and that time is now.”
The period of grounding impacted Flydubai’s fleet of 11 Boeing 737 Max 8 and three Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. During this time there were inspections and checks amounting to 18 hours per aircraft each week of maintenance.
A release from the company said it was still “too early” to announce when Flydubai’s Boeing 737 Max aircraft will enter service, with routes to be announced “at a later date”.
“Every flydubai pilot will undergo additional classroom and full motion simulator training before they are permitted to fly the Boeing 737 Max aircraft,” the airline added.
The decision by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) comes after the return to service was also approved by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other regulators from around the world.
This has resulted in the successful return to service already observed by operators in the North, Central the South Americas and Europe.
Al Ghaith said: “The GCAA has outlined a clear and exacting framework of enhancements and modifications to the aircraft that must be met before returning the aircraft to passenger service along with additional and mandatory pilot training. Flydubai will comply with each and every one of the requirements before we allow the aircraft to rejoin our fleet.”
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of Flydubai
The GCAA’s approval is detailed in a safety decision which sets out the specific requirements every Boeing 737 Max aircraft in Flydubai’s fleet must meet.
The grounding followed the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019, killing all 157 people aboard.
Follow us on
