Boeing’s 737 Max Isn’t Going to Fly Anywhere Soon
A report by Ethiopian regulators doesn’t bring us much closer to finding what exactly caused last month’s crash.
The cockpit of a grounded Lion Air Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 aircraft.
Photographer: Dimas Ardian/BloombergNothing can replace the loss experienced by the families of the 346 people who died when two 737 Max planes crashed in the space of five months. But clarity about what caused those tragedies would help. Unfortunately, we still don’t have it, and are unlikely to for some time.
On Thursday, Ethiopian authorities announced their preliminary findings into last month’s crash, but they don’t bring us much closer to the truth. The reluctance of regulators to rush to judgement is understandable given the sensitivity and technical nature of the issues involved. However, until vital questions are satisfactorily answered, the 737 Max will not return to the skies. For Boeing Co. and its customers, time is money, but that is of secondary concern when human lives are involved.