The European Union schedules its flight tests for the Boeing 737 MAX from September 7.

The European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has agreed with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aircraft manufacturer Boeing to test the 737 MAX model aircraft, which has been on the ground since last year following two fatal accidents, in Vancouver, Canada, during the week of September 7.

Testing of the simulator will take place the week before (from September 1, 2020) in London-Gatwick, while the Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB) will also be held during the week of September 14.

EASA explained this Thursday that it has been working constantly, in close collaboration with the FAA and Boeing, to return the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to service as soon as possible, but only when they are convinced that the model is safe.

Although Boeing has yet to finalize some issues, EASA believes that the overall maturity of the redesign process is now sufficient to proceed with flight tests, which are part of the prerequisites for the European agency’s approval of the new aircraft design.

EASA has been working to schedule its flight tests, a process that has been hampered by Covid-19’s travel restrictions between Europe and the United States.

By EuropaPress