European officials to lift Boeing 737 Max ban in 2021

European officials reportedly plan to lift their ban on Boeing’s 737 Max aircrafts in 2021 following a series of independent analyses.

Reuters reported on Saturday that officials plan to publish a draft directive proposing to end the ban, which could bring a final decision by January.

The news comes days after the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the aircraft for flight, citing an “unprecedented level of collaborative and independent reviews by aviation authorities around the world.” 

Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), said in an online conference that his agency conducted a “totally independent analysis” of the aircraft’s safety, Reuters reported. The studies indicate that the aircraft can return for service.

“It is likely that in our case we will adopt the decisions, allowing it to return to service, some time in January,” he said.

Ky told Bloomberg last month that he expected the aircraft to fly again by the end of 2020 after finding that Boeing  made enough safety changes to the plane. 

When the FAA lifted its ban on Wednesday, it cited an “unprecedented level of collaborative and independent reviews by aviation authorities around the world.” 

“Those regulators have indicated that Boeing’s design changes, together with the changes to crew procedures and training enhancements, will give them the confidence to validate the aircraft as safe to fly in their respective countries and regions,” it said. 

The 737 Max jet was grounded after deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. 

Probes into the crashes found that an anti-stalling system was activated in both cases due to inaccurate sensor readings. Pilots had not been briefed on the system, and a House investigation determined that the deaths were “preventable,” citing regulatory, management and design failures.