In a decision that represents a blow to Boeing, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union representing American Airlines’ fifteen thousand pilots, has expressed its opposition to any extension of the deadline that would allow the MAX 7 and MAX 10 to enter commercial service without a redesign of the cockpit warning system.
Next 1 January, the Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act (ACSAA) will take effect. This new regulation will tighten the conditions required to obtain a type certificate for a new aircraft. Passed in 2020, it came in response to controversy surrounding the previous approval of the MAX 8 and MAX 9 variants.
However, APA’s stance adds tension to Boeing’s race against the clock. Currently, the manufacturer seeks to have the United States Congress extend the deadline for achieving certification of both variants.
“The American pilots explicitly rejected Boeing’s argument that keeping the system the same as on prior 737 models would avoid potential pilot confusion and therefore would be safer”, reported Dominic Gates, a journalist who covers the manufacturer’s business for The Seattle Times.
“Boeing needs to proceed with installing modern crew-alerting systems on these aircraft to mitigate pilot startle effect and confusion during complex, compound system malfunctions”, said Edward Sicher, American Airlines Captain and APA President. “Once these systems are installed and pilots have been properly trained on them, our crews will be better able to identify system failures and prioritize corrective actions that could save lives”, he added.
On the other hand, he also remarked that the installation of new warning systems would help the manufacturer “continue to rebuild public trust”. Boeing’s reputation was seriously affected by the two accidents involving 737 MAX 8 aircraft in October 2018 and March 2019. The families of the victims of both also strongly opposed the extension in a letter sent to Congress last July.
The union also said that the addition of the new mechanisms would “maintain a strong backlog” of 737 MAX family aircraft. Of course, so does Boeing, which believes that an extension of the exemption is necessary to achieve this.
Republican Senator Roger Wicker last week introduced an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act that, if passed, would grant the extension Boeing is seeking. Otherwise, the manufacturer would have to redesign the variants to meet the new requirements. However, it is not yet clear how it will proceed. “We are discussing with policy makers how much time is needed”, the manufacturer said.
See also: Boeing does not expect to achieve MAX 10 certification before mid-2023
