A Boeing 737 MAX jet lands following a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, on June 29, 2020. — AFP/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) has proposed the Ministry of Transport grant permission for Boeing 737 Max aircraft to pass through Việt Nam’s airspace.

The proposal was made with the plane's two-year grounding following two fatal crashes set to end soon.

The aircraft was grounded globally in March 2019 after two crashes occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing 346 people.

In the proposal sent to the ministry, the CAAV said the investigation agencies announced the reasons for the two crashes, which involved the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, an automated safety feature on the 737 Max 8 designed to prevent the plane from entering into a stall or losing lift.

The CAAV said the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has allowed the Boeing 737 Max aircraft to commercially operate again in US airspace from December 28, 2020, following Boeing’s efforts to conduct design changes. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency lifted the ban on aircraft one month later.

China, Russia, Australia and many Southeast Asian countries are among countries that have not opened up their airspace.

Boeing and the FAA are developing test flight plans that demonstrate compliance with safety regulations and flight eligibility standards to completely lift the ban worldwide.

Based on the design improvement as well as the evaluation of major aviation authorities, the CAAV has asked the Ministry of Transport to allow the aircraft to resume its operation in Việt Nam’s airspace.

The CAAV would monitor and report to the ministry when aviation authorities of China, Australia and Russia allow the operation of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

According to the CAAV, it would take from six months to a year to grant a licence for the resumption in Việt Nam. — VNS