China.org.cn | October 28, 2020
Bloomberg News:
Europe's aviation regulator said he's satisfied that changes that Boeing has made to the 737 Max have made the plane safe to fly there this year. Does China agree with this position? And what is the timeline and procedure for the 737 Max to be allowed to fly in China? It's a question for Director Feng.
Feng Zhenglin:
Thank you for your questions. The CAAC has paid great attention to the 737 Max 8 investigation because more jets being grounded in China than in any other country. Of course, regarding the 737 Max 8's return to service, we have maintained technological cooperation and communication with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Boeing Company, and the European Union aviation regulator. Boeing's CEO has also talked with me twice about this issue. China was the first to halt commercial operations of all Boeing 737 Max 8 airplanes worldwide following the two fatal crashes. The decision was made based on a zero-tolerance attitude toward safety risks and a high degree of professionalism in safeguarding our aviation security, which demonstrated our strong sense of responsibility toward protecting human life and safety. We have also adopted the same attitude regarding the resumption of flights and the safety of the revised design of the 737 Max 8 must be guaranteed before the airplane resumes operation. When exchanging views with the FAA and Boeing, we proposed three principles for Boeing's flight resumption in China, that is: changes to the airplane's design must receive airworthiness approval; the pilots must be trained fully and effectively, and; results of the investigations into the two crashes must be clear and measures for improvement must be comprehensive. Considering these three principles, we have not set a timetable for resuming 737 Max 8 flights in China. However, we are willing to see the jets return to service as long as they meet these requirements. In the meantime, we continue to enforce a strict evaluation of the airworthiness of these airplanes to ensure flight safety. Thank you.