By Benjamin Katz and Andy Pasztor
European and Middle Eastern regulators will conduct independent
certification reviews of Boeing Co.'s next new aircraft, according
to people familiar with the matter, breaking from longstanding
practice to apply what they say are lessons learned from the 737
MAX crisis.
The unusual moves punctuate eroding international confidence in
the plane maker and the Federal Aviation Administration in the wake
of the 737 MAX grounding in March. They are also the latest measure
of how significantly the MAX's woes have shaken up long-established
principles of international cooperation in approving new jetliner
designs. Historically, certification of U.S.-built planes received
less foreign scrutiny than is now envisioned by European and
Emirati regulators.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a statement it
is performing a "concurrent validation" of the FAA's certification
of Boeing's 777X, a new variant of the company's popular wide-body
jet.
The plane is expected to be the first new airliner design from
either Boeing or rival Airbus SE to come to market since the MAX
crisis began. Two recent crashes of that jet exposed problems with
its flight-control systems and FAA certification procedures.
Regulators around the world grounded the entire fleet, creating
turmoil for airlines and passengers world-wide.
The national regulator in the United Arab Emirates, meanwhile,
also plans to separately scrutinize the certification process of
the 777X, according to people familiar with the matter. While a
small agency, the Emirati General Civil Aviation Authority wields
outsize influence over the future of the 777X. That is because the
U.A.E.'s state-owned carrier, Emirates Airline, is one of the new
jet's biggest customers. It is slated to be the first airline to
fly the airliner in 2021.
The decision by the European agency, in particular, marks a
significant change in its longstanding trans-Atlantic relationship
with the FAA. Over the years, EASA, as the Cologne, Germany-based
agency is known, and the FAA have worked out procedures to rely
extensively on each other to lead safety approvals of new aircraft
on either side of the Atlantic, typically with limited involvement
by the other agency.
The practice has translated into EASA effectively deferring to
the FAA the primary role of certifying jets made by Boeing. With
rare exceptions for specific features, the FAA has long done the
same for jets made by Airbus, based in France.
The two rival manufacturers account for most new jetliners flown
by the world's carriers. The result, according to industry and
government officials, has been faster and less duplicative checks
before new designs are approved to operate across the regions.
Breaking that practice, EASA said in its statement that
"following the lessons learned from the ongoing review of the 737
MAX, we have adjusted our level of involvement" in the 777X
certification.
In an email, an FAA spokesman said the agency "maintains a
transparent and collaborative relationship with other civil
aviation authorities," adding that each government retains the
right under international agreements "to make its own decision on
the approval of new products, or its validation of the FAA's
approval." Boeing didn't have any immediate comment, and
representatives of the GCAA weren't immediately available.
European and Emirati regulators aren't envisioning a full-blown
certification of their own. Instead, they will independently
scrutinize the processes used by the FAA and Boeing related to a
number of specific systems on the plane, including its
flight-control system and Boeing's safety classification system,
according to people familiar with the matter. They will also
individually review the plane's unique folding wings, these people
said.
The European regulator will also look at any novel system or
part on the aircraft and will review any design features that are
similar to the 737 MAX, particularly on the flight-control system,
according to a person familiar with the matter.
The separate reviews further undercut the FAA's
once-unchallenged stature as the world's most influential
regulator. The agency had lost credibility in the days after the
crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX in March. That followed the
deadly crash of a Lion Air MAX, under similar circumstances, late
last year. The crashed killed 346 people in total.
After the second crash, China took the lead in deciding to
remove the plane from service, followed soon after by EASA. The FAA
took its decision three days later. The plane has now been out of
service for more than eight months.
It is too early to tell whether similar changes are in store for
other jetliners, business jets or smaller propeller-powered planes
pending certification in Europe and the U.S. The FAA, EASA and
aviation authorities globally all have limited staff to undertake
wholesale safety reviews across a range of models.
The FAA itself said last week that it would take a tougher
approach to the 777X in the aftermath of the MAX. "The 777X is
something we will be scrutinizing more carefully," FAA
Administrator Steve Dickson told reporters.
The 777X is set to start service at Dubai-based Emirates the
year after next, before later entering the fleet of Germany's
Deutsche Lufthansa AG. That timeline is already about a year late
because of production issues primarily related to the jet's General
Electric Co. engines.
The new scrutiny by EASA and the U.A.E. could delay that
further, if either agency finds something problematic. Their
reviews are being conducted at the same time as an FAA review,
though, so they may not hold up the plane's rollout if all goes
well. The program's current delays also allow regulators more time
to review the certification process.
When it gets to market, the 777X will be the biggest new
commercial jetliner available to airlines, after Airbus said early
this year it would scrap production of its A380 superjumbo.
The 777X is an upgrade of an older 777 model, which dozens of
carriers have used in their fleets. The new version requires a new
FAA certification because of its bigger new engines and larger
wings.
Write to Benjamin Katz at ben.katz@wsj.com and Andy Pasztor at
andy.pasztor@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 27, 2019 12:48 ET (17:48 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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