Despite the Boeing 737 MAX ungrounding in the United States, the Brazilian aviation safety authority says it has yet to decide if the airliner meets its airworthiness requirements.
Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) acknowledges the decision of its U.S. counterpart, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA), to unground the Boeing 737 MAX. However, the airliner will be allowed to return to Brazilian skies only after the ANAC determines it is safe and meets airworthiness requirements.
The ANAC stated that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 return to operations in the country still depended on the completion of the work carried out by the agency regarding the process of validating the project modifications, according to a statement released on November 18, 2020.
The announcement came in response to the news that the FAA approved necessary modifications of the aircraft, essentially clearing its return to passenger operations in the United States. While the ANAC, together with other aviation authorities such as Transport Canada and the European Aviation Safety Agency, participated in the FAA’s work, the Brazilian authority still intends to proceed with its own final adjustments for the validation process. It would be done based on the FAA guideline, the ANAC stated.
“This effort is an example of cooperation between civil aviation authorities, only a few countries have the experience to certify such a complex system. However, ANAC works with independent assessments to ensure that all necessary requirements will be met in the safe return of the operations of these aircraft in Brazil”, Rafael Botelho, the deputy CEO of ANAC, is cited in the statement as saying.
Currently, there is only one airline in Brazil that has the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in its fleet ‒ GOL Linhas Aéreas. The carrier, which has 7 already delivered but grounded aircraft of the type, would have to incorporate and demonstrate “satisfactorily compliance” with all new guidelines, both in terms of design and pilot training, the authority added.