The Boeing 737 MAX airliner, which began service in 2017, was involved in two fatal accidents, Lion Air Flight 610 on October 29, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019, that resulted from a malfunction of the aircraft's new flight stabilizing software,[1] the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
![]() | This article needs to be updated. (February 2022) |
After the Ethiopian Airlines crash, China and most other civil aviation authorities grounded the airliner over perceived safety risks. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg assured President Donald Trump the airplane was safe, in response to Trump's social media comments.[2] Having new evidence of accident similarities, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the aircraft on March 13, 2019, reversing a Continued Airworthiness Notice issued two days prior.[3][4][5] About 30 MAX aircraft were flying in U.S. airspace at the time and were allowed to reach their destinations.[6] By March 18, regulators grounded all 387 MAX aircraft in service with 59 airlines worldwide and making 8,600 flights each week.[7] Several ferry flights were operated with flaps extended to circumvent MCAS activation.
The grounding subsequently became the longest ever of a U.S. airliner.[8][9] As of January 2020, another 400 newly manufactured aircraft await delivery to airlines pending the aircraft's return to service.
Regulator grounding timeline 2019 | ||
---|---|---|
Date | Authority | |
March 11 | ![]() |
Civil Aviation Administration[10][11][12] |
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Ministry of Transportation[13] | |
March 12 | ![]() |
Civil Aviation Safety Authority[14] |
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Ministry of Transport[15] | |
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Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport[16] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[17] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[18] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[19] | |
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European Aviation Safety Agency[20][lower-alpha 1] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[21] | |
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Directorate General for Civil Aviation[22] | |
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Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure[23] | |
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Directorate General of Civil Aviation[24] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[25] | |
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Irish Aviation Authority[26] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[27] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[28][29] | |
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Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate[30][31] | |
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Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Meteorology[32] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[33] | |
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National Institute of Civil Aviation[34] | |
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Civil Aeronautical Authority[35] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[36] | |
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Directorate General of Civil Aviation[37][38] | |
![]() |
General Civil Aviation Authority[39] | |
![]() |
Civil Aviation Authority[40] | |
![]() |
Civil Aviation Administration[41] | |
March 13 | ![]() |
Civil Aviation Authority[42] |
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General Department of Civil Aviation[43] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[44] | |
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National Civil Aviation Agency[45] | |
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Department of Civil Aviation[46] | |
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Civil Aviation Administration[47] | |
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Transport Canada Civil Aviation[48] | |
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Directorate General of Civil Aviation[49] | |
![]() |
Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics[50] | |
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Dirección General de Aviación Civil[51] | |
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Department of Civil Aviation[52] | |
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Danish Transport Authority[53] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[54] | |
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Ministry of Civil Aviation[55] | |
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Civil Aviation Administration[56] | |
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Civil Aviation Department[57] | |
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Iraq Civil Aviation Authority[58] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[59] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[60] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[61] | |
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Directorate General of Civil Aviation[62] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[63] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[64] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[65] | |
![]() |
Civil Aviation Agency[66] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[67] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[68] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[69] | |
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Civil Aviation Agency[70] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[71] | |
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Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie[72] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[73] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[74] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[75] | |
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State Aviation Administration[76] | |
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Federal Aviation Administration[77] | |
![]() |
Civil Aviation Agency[78] | |
March 14 | ![]() |
Department for Aviation[79] |
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Directorate of Civil Aviation[80] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[81] | |
![]() |
Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile[82] | |
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Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism[83] | |
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Civil Aviation Committee[84] | |
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Ministry of Information, Communications, Transport and Tourism Development[85] | |
![]() |
Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics[86] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[87] | |
![]() |
Federal Air Transport Agency[88] | |
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Civil Aviation Authority[89] | |
![]() |
Civil Aviation Directorate[90] | |
![]() |
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport[91] | |
![]() |
Civil Aeronautics Administration[92][lower-alpha 2] | |
March 15 | ![]() |
Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil[94] |
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Civil Aviation Organization[95] | |
![]() |
Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica[96] | |
March 16 | ![]() |
National Civil Aviation Administration[97] |
March 18 | ![]() |
Directorate of Civil Aviation and Meteorology[98] |
![]() |
National Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure Direction[99] | |
|
March 11
March 12
March 13
March 14
March 16
June 27
After the Ethiopian Airlines crash, some airlines proactively grounded their fleets and regulatory bodies grounded the others. (This list includes 6 more 737 MAX aircraft than the official FAA record; these aircraft may have powered on their transponders, but not delivered to an airline. Some pre-delivered aircraft are located at Boeing Field, Renton Municipal Airport and Paine Field airports).[91]
At the time of its grounding, the MAX was operating 8,600 flights per week.[154]
About thirty Boeing 737 MAX aircraft were airborne in U.S. airspace when the FAA grounding order was announced. The airplanes were allowed to continue to their destinations and were then grounded.[155] In Europe, several flights were diverted when grounding orders were issued.[156] For example, an Israel-bound Norwegian 737 MAX aircraft returned to Stockholm, and two Turkish Airlines MAX aircraft flying to Britain, one to Gatwick Airport south of London and the other to Birmingham, turned around and flew back to Turkey.[157]
On June 11, 2019, Norwegian Flight DY8922 attempted a ferry flight from Málaga, Spain to Stockholm, Sweden.[158] However, the aircraft was refused entry into German airspace, and diverted to Châlons Vatry, France.[159][160]
In a rare exemption, Transport Canada approved eleven flights in August and September 2019, partly to maintain the qualifications of senior Air Canada training pilots, because the airline has no earlier-generation 737s within its fleet. The airline used the MAX during planned maintenance movements, and ultimately flew it to Pinal Airpark in Arizona for storage.[161]
In early October 2019, Icelandair moved two of its five MAX 8s for winter storage in the milder climate of northern Spain, making the entire flight with flaps extended to prevent MCAS activation.[162][163][164]
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)