Boeing advises further 737 MAX simulator

Boeing is recommending additional simulator training for all 737 MAX pilots prior to the aircraft’s return to service.  This is seen as Boeing taking the imitative, although the final decision rests with the regulators, one of which is the FAA.

The interim Chief Executive Officer for Boeing, Greg Smith, said in a statement that safety was Boeing’s “top priority”. The confidence of airlines, the flying public and stakeholders was something also “critically important” to the company.

Peter DeFazio, the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure which is investigating the case, has endorsed Boeing’s decision. At the same time, DeFazio noted that it was “remarkable that it took two deadly crashes, numerous investigations and untold public pressure before Boeing arrived at this decision.”

“[…] Boeing’s business model for the 737 MAX was premised on Boeing’s unreasonable, cost-saving assurance to airlines that pilots qualified to fly a different 737 variant, the 737 Next Generation, should not undergo simulator training to fly the 737 MAX,” continued DeFazio.

If the FAA approves Boeing’s simulator training recommendation, prior to the grounded aircraft being cleared to fly again, it may well potentially further delay the return to service of the aircraft. According to a report by the Associated Press, there are only 34 737 MAX simulators worldwide and Boeing owns eight of them. However, there are thousands of 737 pilots working for airlines that have already flown their first MAX aircraft or are awaiting delivery for the aircraft.