UAE aviation regulator sets up committee to assess return of Boeing's 737 Max

Return to Service Committee will work with US and European regulators, GCAA says

A Boeing 737 Max jet piloted by Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson on a recent test flight in Seattle ahead of the regulator giving its clearance for the plane to beging flying again. AP PhotoShow less

The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority set up a Return to Service Committee to oversee the reintroduction of Boeing's 737 Max to the country's commercial aviation operations.

The committee includes a range of specialists who will work with counterparts at the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency, state news agency Wam cited the GCAA as saying on Sunday.

"We will continue to work closely with FAA and EASA on the recertification process. The GCAA will issue a Safety Decision, stipulating technical requirements to ensure a safe return to service of the Max aircraft and we will also announce our certification timelines in due course," the authority said.

The FAA gave its approval for the 737 Max to return to skies in the US on November 18. The jet, which is Boeing's best-selling model, has been grounded since March last year after it was involved in two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

Dubai's budget carrier flydubal is the 737 Max's second-biggest customer after US budget carrier Southwest Airlines.

Following the FAA's clearance last week, Southwest sent a team of mechanics to prepare some of the 34 Boeing 737 Max aircraft it had parked in the California desert to return to service.