Boeing working very hard to ensure 737 MAX aircraft safe: FAA representative

As the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft continue to be grounded in numerous countries after the devastating Ethiopian Airlines and the Lion Air crashes, US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) South Asia representative Thomson Miller has said that the aircraft manufacturer is working hard to ensure safety.

Scores of countries, including India and China grounded the Boeing 737 MAX jets following the Ethiopian Airlines crash which took the life of all 157 people on board. While Boeing is working on a software fix to ensure safety, it isn't clear when the planes will be back in service.

Speaking to ANI, Miller said: "Boeing is working very hard to ensure the aircraft is safe...The FAA will take that up and also ensure that the aircraft are ready to go back into service as soon as possible but I don't have any projections on actual time."

Referring to the two crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX jets, he added, "Any accident of that nature in aviation is tragic, it's a terrible event...FAA makes its decisions based on data, data that we compile and analyse. The investigations are ongoing for both of those accidents. There's no final statement until those investigations are complete."

He also said that as a regulatory authority, the FAA is in constant engagement with Boeing regarding the 737 MAX issue. "We consider the India civil aviation system to be safe and well looked after. The aviation authorities here are striving to go beyond minimum standards as well," the representative stated.