Indonesia lifts Boeing 737 Max ban 3 years after crash

JAKARTA • Indonesia has lifted a ban on the Boeing 737 Max, its Transport Ministry said yesterday, three years after the crash of one of the aircraft operated by domestic carrier Lion Air with the loss of all 189 people on board.

The aviation authorities around the world grounded the aircraft months later after a similarly deadly accident in March 2019 involving one of the aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines.

The approval for the aircraft's return in Indonesia comes months after it returned to service in the United States and Europe, and follows more recent lifting of grounding orders in countries including Australia, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Ethiopia.

The lifting of the ban was effective immediately and follows the evaluation of changes to the aircraft's system by regulators, the ministry said in a statement.

Airlines must follow airworthiness directives and inspect their planes before they can fly the 737 Max again, it said, adding that the government would also inspect the planes.

Privately owned Lion Air, which operated 10 of the 737 Max planes before the ban, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia said it had no plans to reintroduce the plane to its fleet as it focuses on debt restructuring.

The state-controlled airline, which had operated one 737 Max before the ban, has said it plans to cut its fleet from 142 to 66 planes.

REUTERS