TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Transportation Ministry has announced Boeing 737 Max 8 fleets can return to service again only after they meet a number of safety requirements. The ministry’s air transportation director-general, Polana B. Pramesti, said there were four requirements.

The jet planes have been grounded since March 2019 after problems were found in their maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS).

“As for the return to service, we will focus on several things. I personally am not sure when they will be completed,” said Polana on Friday.

The first requirement is related to the airworthiness directive (AD) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which mandates immediate fixes on the Boeing 737 Max 8 fleets before they return to service.

The second requirement involves final reports from the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) on the crash involving Lion Air’s flight JT 610. The third requirement is to wait for the completion of the MCAS repair certification on all Boeing 737 Max from a number of civil aviation authorities, comprising: Transport Canada, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) Brazil.

Fourth, the establishment of a regional partnership among Southeast Asian civil aviation authorities to harmonize the return of Boeing 737 Max 8 fleets to service.

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