Page 7 - AAA SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 Online Magazine

made changes to its booking process, allow-
ing customers to easily identify whether they
are traveling on a 737 MAX even if schedules
change. “If a customer doesn’t want to fly on a
737 MAX aircraft, they won’t have to,” the airline
states on its website and in the immediate term,
says it will provide additional flexibility to ensure
our customers can be easily re-accommodated
if they prefer not to fly this aircraft type.

An all Boeing operator, Southwest Airlines,
ensured that before its B737 MAXs returned
to commercial service, every active pilot com-
pleted additional FAA-required flight training in
one of its nine 737 MAX simulators. Southwest
flew more than 200 readiness flights since late
2019 and has conducted multiple readiness
flights on each of its 34 MAX jetliners. Its pilots
also completed additional FAA-required com-
puter-based training covering MAX procedures
and all of Southwest’s active pilots had to re-take
the original 737 MAX 8 computer-based differ-
ences training as a refresher to complement
the training required by the FAA. Southwest
spent more than a year obtaining, installing,
and certifying nine 737 MAX simulators to sup-
plement the flight training. Southwest’s nine
737 MAX simulators join the airline’s 15 other
737-700 and 737-800 simulators at its Pilot
training center in Dallas. Before the 737 MAX
was grounded in March 2019, Southwest pilots
had flown almost 40,000 flights on the type,
after it began operating the aircraft in 2017
accumulating more than 89,000 flight hours.
have had to make software updates to the flight control computer
and display systems, which included updates to MCAS, additional
Return to Service software updates, and modifying some wiring to meet regulators’
Boeing has ensured that its teams worked requirements. For airline operators, keeping their MAX fleet in stor-
alongside its airline partners to help them age and ready to return to service involved regular operation of
return the aircraft to service. All the B737 the aircraft engines and auxiliary power units (APUs), cabin air was
MAX aeroplanes that went into storage had recycled ever four days and the engines were also run periodically
to undergo a comprehensive multi-stage pro- to charge the batteries along with ensuring that the fight controls
cess to preserve the airplane and its expensive and key systems were operated.
engines and systems whilst not in use. Regular
visual inspections of every one of the stored air- Boeing ensured that it remained in touch with customers to keep
planes, was undertaken by Boeing, regardless them informed about the latest developments in process and status
of its location around the world and company for return to service and conducted monthly collaborative work
inspectors documenting their findings and sessions with its airline partners. Boeing also ensured that the
sharing it not only with the airline but the larger cross-functional team operating at its dedicated 24/7 operations
community of partner airlines. For the airplanes centre were able to provide real-time solutions to challenges cus-
to be reactivated, Boeing mandated a compre- tomers could face as they worked to return an airplane to service,
hensive protocol, which was the same as that in addition to providing real-time monitoring of all 737-8 and 737-9
for delivery of a new airplane which included airplanes in flight. The airframer also expanded its existing field-ser-
flight-critical ground testing, test flights by vice teams with additional staff that can be deployed to help an
Boeing and the customer, and a detailed cus- airline complete and document every step of the comprehensive
tomer inspection. process mandated by their regulator. Boeing also increased its
stocks of specific parts that airlines could require when reactivating
Preparing for their return of their B737 MAX their airplanes and deployed the parts in advance to its regional
fleets for service has also meant that airlines distribution centers around the world.

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