The Indonesian Ministry of transportation and the country’s aviation authority – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation – announced that they revoke the prohibition on operating the Boeing 737 MAX. The revocation will go into effect shortly, as it is yet to be formalized.
“We have coordinated with aviation authorities and operators from around the world, especially ASEAN. Until now, several countries have allowed the operation of the 737 MAX aircraft. Following this development, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is also conducting preparations to issue a letter lifting the operating ban on 737 MAX aircraft,” Indonesian Director General of Civil Aviation Novie Riyanto is quoted in a press release.
The decision was made following a lengthy technical evaluation process, during which the Directorate worked with the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Boeing.
Following the revocation of the ban, the Directorate will issue airworthiness orders and begin discussing the situation with operators that expressed interest in the model.
Indonesia barred the Boeing 737 MAX from flying in its airspace and being operated by its carriers in March 2019, shortly after the FAA issued an airworthiness notification that grounded the type across the globe.
The country became the scene of the first tragic crash of 737 MAX-8. On 29 October 2018, an aircraft belonging to the country’s low-cost carrier Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea, killing 189 passengers and crew.
After the model’s second crash on March 10, 2018, more than a year-long world-wide grounding followed, as the problems with aircraft’s software were identified and fixed.
Numerous countries started lifting their bans on the aircraft after it was un-grounded by the FAA in November 2020.
Since then, several airlines restarted operations with the aircraft.
Indonesia’s decision comes just a day after Ethiopian Airlines, whose aircraft was involved in the second crash, announced its plans to return 737 MAX to service in 2022.