American aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Friday said it has completed the development of the updated software for the 737 MAX. The aircraft with the updated software has been tested for over 360 hours on 207 flights.
The aircraft models MAX 8 and 9 were grounded worldwide in March, following the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on March 10. This was preceded by the crash of the Indonesian carrier Lion Air in October, 2018. The automated manoeuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) in both cases pushed the planes’ noses down while the pilots struggled to regain control, according to reports. The two crashes caused the loss of 346 lives.
The directorate general of civil aviation, had on March 14, ordered the grounding of the MAX 737 aircraft. SpiceJet Limited, which had 12 of the 737 Max aircraft, was worst affected by the grounding of these planes.
