Indonesia lifting ban on 737 Max three years after fatal crash

Indonesia’s transport ministry lifted a ban on Boeing 737 Max aircrafts on Tuesday, three years after a crash that killed almost 200 people. 

The ministry said the ban will be lifted immediately and that regulators have already evaluated the changes to the system, according to Reuters. 

Both government officials and airlines would be required to inspect the planes before they fly again, according to the news service. 

The decision comes three years after a 737 Max plane operated by Indonesian airline Lion Air crashed, killing all 189 people aboard. After a similar crash in March 2019 involving one of the 737 jets operated by Ethiopian Airlines, the aircraft was grounded by aviation authorities around the world. 

The aircraft returned to operations months ago in the U.S. and Europe as well as in Australia, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Ethiopia, Reuters noted.

Earlier this month, China also approved the plan to return the plane to service and provided specific instructions on mandatory revisions required before operating the 737 Max.

Meanwhile, the head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, told the Senate Commerce Committee in November that Boeing has “more work to do” years after the two 737 Max planes’ fatal crashes.

“Boeing is not the same as it was two years ago, but they have more to work to do,” he said.

Boeing was fined $2.5 billion in January when the Department of Justice also filed a criminal charge against the company for “conspiracy to defraud the United States.”