With the UAE’s civil aviation regulator recently re-certifying the 737 MAX to fly in the country’s airspace, Dubai-based budget airline flydubai has reason to be celebrating this month. Operating an all-Boeing 737 fleet, the carrier currently has 14 MAX jets in its fleet. However, with plans to modernize and expand, flydubai will eventually operate 251 MAX jets – making recertification essential. After having been grounded for nearly two years, let’s take a look at how the airline is preparing its 737 MAXs to once again carry passengers.
Over 20 months of continuous maintenance
It was nearly two years ago, on March 12th, 2019, that the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issued a “Safety Decision,” banning the 737 MAX from operating in the country’s airspace.
Throughout the entire time, the airline’s MAXs have been on the ground, they have been “under continuous maintenance as part of an aircraft storage program,” the airline notes on its website. Adding:
“The Engineering and Maintenance team are spending 18 hours per aircraft each week maintaining the aircraft to the highest international standards meeting all regulatory requirements. We are employing a systematic approach to identify actions which could be taken over and above the minimum mandatory requirements to ensure they will be returned to service in the best possible condition.”
