MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th April, 2019) Ethiopian Airlines "connects deeply" to the deadly accident involving its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and therefore will be the "last" airline to resume flying this model of plane after regulators confirm that the aerospace company's software update for these planes is safe, Yitbarek Nema, the Ethiopian Airlines' area manager in Russia, told Sputnik on Friday.
Boeing came up with the software update after one of its 737 MAX planes crashed in Ethiopia in March. This was the second crashing involving this model of plane, with the first one having happened in Indonesia in October. The upgrade is intended to fix a suspected anti-stall system glitch, which is believed to have been responsible for the combined death toll of 346 passengers and crew members in the two crashes. The updated software is expected to be certified and implemented in the coming weeks.
"We connect and we feel deeply when it comes to this accident and when it comes to this typical aircraft model and will definitely be the last ones to put this aircraft on air after everything is checked and everyone has to give their final say and go-ahead. All the regulators [have to approve the update], not only American � not only NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] ... but also EASA [European Aviation Safety Agency] and all other international safety organizations. Once we have all of their go-ahead and everything is in place we will be the last to put this aircraft in the air," Nema said.
In the wake of the March crash, aviation authorities and carriers around the world have either grounded all 737 MAX 8 series aircraft or closed their airspace to them.
