Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Boeing aims to resume B737 Max 8 service this year
Boeing 737 Max 8
By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hyun-bin
Boeing aims to have the ill-fated B737 Max 8 planes back in service within this year and is reviewing ways to compensate airlines that have grounded the jets since March, according to a senior Boeing official.
The aircraft manufacturer's best-selling B737 Max 8 model was involved in two deadly crashes, one with Ethiopian Airlines in March and another with Indonesia's Lion Air in October last year.
After an investigation, the manufacturer admitted that its Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a new flight-control system that automatically pushes the noses of the Max jets down to keep the planes from stalling, was a contributing factor in the crashes.
The Boeing executive said the company had finished modifying the system and was waiting for U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval.
“I should say our expectation is the plane will return to service this quarter,” Randy Tinseth, Boeing's vice president of commercial marketing, said during a press conference at the CONRAD SEOUL, Monday.
“We made software, hardware and training changes to the plane, they are moving to address the challenges that came up with the MCAS system. In every way, we are working very closely with regulators around the world to make sure we address all issues and we safely return the aircraft back to service.”
Randy Tinseth, Boeing vice president of commercial marketing
He said the new software had been modified so the MCAS system would not repeatedly lower the plane's nose as the pilot tried to pull it up.
“In terms of hardware, we are going to make sure there is an 'AoA disagree light' that comes on when pilots have a challenge with the system,” Tinseth said.
In both deadly crashes, it appears the angle-of-attack (AoA) sensor sent bad data and misfired the MCAS, but the software fix will rely on two sensors for activation compared to one sensor previously.
The new system went through 700 test flights and 100,000 hours of simulation on the software, according to Boeing.
Since March 10, more than 500 Max 8s have been grounded worldwide and more than 4,500 jets are on order. Tinseth said Boeing was reviewing options to compensate airlines that had grounded the jets.
“In our last earnings call, we have set aside a substantial amount of money to help with the mitigation,” Tinseth said. “Mitigation can take many forms. We are working across the board with our customers to figure out how we can bring them to value.”
He said compensation included services that airlines needed involving purchasing and movement of aircraft.