The crisis-ridden US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has withdrawn its application to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for an exemption for the safety certification of its 737 Max 7 passenger aircraft.
“While we are confident that the proposed temporary exemption for this system follows established FAA processes to ensure safe operations, we will instead implement a technical solution that will be finalized during the certification process,” Boeing said Monday. The FAA referred a Reuters request for comment to Boeing.
The chairwoman of the Aviation Investigation Commission spoke out against Boeing’s application last week due to safety concerns. She noted that the exemption requested by Boeing “concerns a de-icing system that could overheat and cause the engine nacelle to separate and tear off. This could allow debris to enter the fuselage and endanger passengers in window seats behind the wing.”
The withdrawal follows pressure from Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. CBS quotes her as saying: “Boeing should never have requested this exemption to put another new aircraft into service with a known safety deficiency. I am relieved and grateful that Boeing is putting the safety of the flying public first by withdraws this request. I hope that this decision marks the beginning of a turnaround in Boeing’s safety culture, and I encourage the company to fully focus on addressing the known safety deficiencies on the MAX 7 and other MAX aircraft could have catastrophic consequences for passengers and crew.”
With the exemption, the 737 Max 7 could have gone into commercial operation early. For the 737 Max 8 and Max 9, which are also equipped with the system in question, there are exemptions that limit the use of the de-icing system and give the aircraft manufacturer until 2026 to find a long-term solution.
