CAAS lifts Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operation restrictions

The restrictions were imposed in March 2019 following two fatal accidents involving the aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) issued a Directive 13/2021 lifting the restriction, which ran for over two years, on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations into and out of Singapore starting 6 September, following the completion of its technical assessment.

The technical assessment included an evaluation of the design changes to the aircraft made by Boeing and approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other authorities. The CAAS also reviewed operational data of flights of the aircraft that resumed services in the last nine months and found no notable safety issues.

“Aviation safety is paramount. CAAS has taken extra care to assess, monitor and ensure that due diligence has been done and that the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft can operate safely, before lifting restrictions on the aircraft operations into and out of Singapore,” CAAS Director-General Han Kok Juan said.

The restrictions were imposed on 12 March due to the two fatal accidents involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Singapore operators to comply with the requirements stated in the FAA Airworthiness Directive 2020-24-02 and the CAAS Directive to fly their Boeing 737 Max aircraft which include flight crew training programme approved by CAAS, with additional simulator training to ensure that pilots are adequately trained in handling workload management when handling aircraft emergencies, under the directive.

The authority noted Singapore Airlines must meet the requirements by the CAAS and FAA to fly its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Foreign airlines intending to operate Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into Singapore must comply with CAAS’ requirements under paragraph 87A of the Air Navigation Order, and FAA AD 2020-24-02 and other requirements of their respective civil aviation authorities, CAAS said.

Other regulators who lifted the restriction on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations include the FAA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Transport Canada Civil Aviation, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia, and the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand. The restrictions were imposed in March 2019 following two fatal accidents involving the aircraft.