Airlines want joint lifting of 737 MAX ban, but EU cautious

SEOUL: Airlines urged regulators on Sunday to coordinate on software changes to the Boeing 737 MAX in a bid to avoid damaging splits over safety seen when the aircraft was grounded in March.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), whose 290 carriers account for 80% of world flying, said trust in the certification system had been damaged by a wave of separate decisions to ground the jet, with the U.S. last to act.

Airlines are worried further differences between regulators over safety could confuse passengers and cause disruption.

“Any rift between regulators is not in anyone’s interest,” IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told an annual meeting of the association in Seoul.