Boeing 737 MAX saga: How the FAA nearly brought the global aviation industry to its knees
A year ago, Lion Air’s Boeing 737 MAX airplane crashed, killing all 181 people on board. Six months later, this March, another Boeing 737 MAX, belonging to Ethiopian Airlines, crashed, killing all 149 people on board. Soon after, every Boeing 737 MAX around the world was grounded. The blame for these crashes is being laid squarely at the door of the US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The controversy over why an aircraft with a flawed design was allowed to fly is still as fresh as the sorrow and pain of those who lost their family and friends on the two flights.
The FAA is the final authority in certifying all aircraft manufactured in America as being safe for flying. Boeing, being an American company, has to get this final certification from FAA before the aircraft can begin commercial operations.
