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Flydubai will redeploy its grounded Boeing 737 MAX only after all the requirements, including additional pilot training, the budget carrier said on Thursday.
“Flydubai will comply with each and every one of the requirements before we allow the aircraft to rejoin our fleet,” Ghaith Al Ghaith said.
The statement comes after the director-general of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Saif Al Suwaidi, said that the ban on the aircraft has been lifted.
All the 737 MAX jets were banned from flying for nearly two years following fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. The United States, as well as Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil and European Union, have already cleared the Boeing 737 MAX to fly passengers.
No date yet
Despite the lifting of the ban, Flydubai said it cannot say when its grounded jets will return to the skies. In a statement, Flydubai said its pilots will still undergo additional classroom and full motion simulator training before they are permitted to fly the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
“At this stage, it is too early to announce when Flydubai’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will enter service. The routes on the Flydubai network where the aircraft will operate will be announced at a later date,” said the airline.
The airline has been doing continuous maintenance on the jets since their grounding, including prescribed inspections and checks. Its engineering and maintenance personnel are also currently implementing the “return-to-service work schedule” for the grounded fleet.
“The GCAA has outlined a clear and exacting framework of enhancements and modifications to the aircraft that must be met before returning the aircraft to passenger service along with additional and mandatory pilot training,” said Al Ghaith.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
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