The United Arab Emirates will lift the ban on the Boeing 737 MAX in March 2021. Flydubai will be the main beneficiary of this decision.
The United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) intends to open airspace for the Boeing 737 MAX after a nearly two-year ban, issued on March 13, 2019.
We remind you that Boeing 737 MAX aircraft were detained on the ground in March 2019 following the crash of a 737 MAX Lion Air plane near Jakarta, on October 29, 2018, and a 737 MAX Ethiopian Airlines plane, on March 10, 2019, killing a total of 346 of people.
GCAA Director General Saif Al Suwaidi stressed that for the 737 MAX to be able to fly in the airspace of the United Arab Emirates, all safety changes must be made, including the modernization of the MCAS system and pilot training and instruction procedures.
Flydubai was the most affected carrier in the United Arab Emirates.
Flydubai, which has 11 x Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 3 x Boeing 737 MAX 9 in its fleet, was the hardest hit in the United Arab Emirates. In November 2017, at Dubai Airshow, Flydubai signed an agreement with Boeing, placing an order for 175 aircraft ─ MAX 8, MAX 9 and at least 50 737 MAX 10, with the right to purchase 50 additional 737 MAX aircraft.
"Flydubai continues to work closely with the General Authority for Civil Aviation. Flydubai's Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will not be included in the operational program until they receive GCAA approval. ", said a spokesman for Flydubai.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada (TC), National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also recertified the Boeing 737 MAX, allowing it to resume commercial service