Washington, November 18: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States on Wednesday cleared operations of Boeing 737 MAX. The aircraft got the approval to fly passengers almost after two years following a pair of deadly crashes. The FAA said the approval was given after a "comprehensive and methodical" review process of 20 months.

In March last year, aviation regulators across the world ground the 737 MAX aircraft after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killing 346 people within a gap of five months. The order was signed by FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft: All About The Ethiopian Airline Airplane That Crashed And Why These Planes Are Being Grounded In China, Singapore And Other Countries.

The development came a day after the US House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation to reform the FAA's aircraft certification process. The House bill was approved on a voice vote. According to the bill, it requires an expert panel to evaluate Boeing's safety culture. Boeing 737 Max 8 Aircraft Banned or Grounded in 50 Countries, Including US, Company Supports Action.

A report released by DeFazio termed the 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in the year 2018 and 2019 respectively as the "horrific culmination" of failures by Boeing. After these crashes, the FAA called for urgent reforms.

Boeing 737 MAX is an American narrow-body aircraft series designed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The new 737 generation was launched on August 30, 2011. Meanwhile, the new series gained FAA certification on March 8, 2017, and the first delivery was a MAX 8 on May 6, 2017.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2020 08:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).