Southwest Airlines will resume using Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft on routes in March of 2021. Those planes were grounded in 2019 after two fatal crashes. Boeing has been making changes to the plane's flight control system under the review of the FAA. The Federal Aviation Administration cleared the 737 MAX to return to service last month.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly was a passenger on a 737 MAX test flight this week. He is confident the planes are safe.
"If we had a cause for doubt of the Safety of our fleet...or any subset of it...simply put, the planes would not fly. That is a moral obligation that I share with my fellow Southwest Family Members who work, fly, and travel with our own families on these aircraft," he wrote in a letter the company posted on-line. "This is not only our profession, career, and livelihoods...it’s deeply personal to all of us. Our Southwest Pilot Leadership Team has reviewed and expressed confidence in the MAX software and training updates following Boeing’s enhancements to the aircraft."
Pilots for Southwest have been spending time in 737 MAX simulators to prepare for their return.
"Southwest pilots are experts at flying the 737. It's the only aircraft we fly," said Alan Kasher, Senior Vice President of Air Operations for Southwest. "Before we bring the aircraft back in to service, every active Southwest pilot will undergo flight training in a 737 MAX simulator. Our pilots are among the most experienced 737 aviators in the industry. We know the 737. We train in the 737...and we take our mission to return the 737 MAX to the skies very seriously."
American Airlines has announced it will begin flying the 737 MAX again before the end of 202. United Airlines will begin using the planes again in February of 2021.
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