Letter Sent To Congressional Leaders By Acting Administrator Elwell

The FAA sent a letter this week to Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jack Reed (D-RI) indicating that the agency is hopeful that it will "achieve near simultaneous approval from the major civil aviation authorities around the world” to lift the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX, but added the decision is up to the individual regulators.

In the letter, which was obtained by Reuters, Elwell (pictured) says the FAA is "working with our colleagues from the European Union, Canada and Brazil to address their concerns."

Collins chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that held a hearing Wednesday that had four FAA officials on the witness list, including Ali Bahrami, the head of aviation safety for the agency.

Last week, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a conference call with analysts that he remains confident that the MAX will be able to return to service in October, though the three U.S. airlines that operate the plane have cancelled all 737 MAX flights through early November.

While Elwell was hopeful that the issues with the airplane could be addressed soon, he said that the FAA will not lift the grounding of the 737 MAX until it is safe to do so.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report