Boeing Narrowbody Takes to the Skies With Load of Execs, Politicians to Commemorate Occasion

Ethiopian Airlines has brought its Boeing 737 Max aircraft back into service, taking flight once again with top brass from the airline's board of executives, Boeing, Ethiopian ministers, foreign ambassadors, and others. 

The airline was ground zero for the Max grounding, as the most high profile crash. In March of 2019, 157 lives were lost aboard a malfunctioning 737, setting off a chain of investigation that exposed frightening amounts of complacency, ambivalence, and irresponsibility in the manufacturer's race to keep their program on time and on-schedule. Boeing ultimately reached an agreement with families of the victims in November 2021, allowing individual claims in U.S. courts instead of their home country. 

The Ethiopian Group saw the return of their still quite new aircraft later than the rest of the world, as the majority of 737 Max operators brought theirs into service much earlier. Ethiopian Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam issued a statement commemorating the occasion, telling those gathered: 

 “Safety is the top most priority at Ethiopian Airlines and it guides every decision we make and all actions we take. It is in line with this guiding principle that we are now returning the B737 MAX to service not only after the recertification by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), EASA of Europe, Transport Canada, CAAC, ECAA and other regulatory bodies but also after the fleet type’s return to service by 36 airlines around the world. In line with our initially stated commitment to become among the last airlines to return the B737 MAX, we have taken enough time to monitor the design modification work and the more than 20 months of rigorous recertification process and we have ensured that our pilots, engineers, aircraft technicians and cabin crew are confident on the safety of the fleet. The airline’s confidence is further showcased by flying the top executives and the board chairman and other top government officials on the first flight.”

FMI: www.ethiopianairlines.com