Boeing says it has finished with its updates to the flight-control software implicated in 2 deadly crashes involving its 737 Max, moving a step closer to getting the plane back in the sky. Aviation regulators still have more questions about how pilots interact with the plane's controls under different circumstances, and Boeing says it is providing that information. The FAA, foreign regulators and airlines are reviewing Boeing's plans for additional pilot training, the company said Thursday. The next major step is a certification flight with FAA representatives. That flight has not yet been scheduled. "We're making clear and steady progress and are confident that the 737 Max with updated MCAS software will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly," chairman and CE Dennis Muilenburg said. <br/>
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Europe’s biggest insurers are on the hook for as much as US$450m from a pair of airline crashes involving Boeing 737 Max planes. Munich Re reckons it could pay E150m (US$168m), an estimate that CFO Christoph Jurecka called “very conservative.” Swiss Re expects to pay up to $135m; Hannover Re says it will pay out as much as $56m. Allianz and Zurich Insurance Group -- covering directors’ and officers’ liability -- may have to part with a combined $91m. For now, the insurers’ losses are on paper only. It will be months, if not years, before pay-outs are made, with Bloomberg Intelligence estimating the bill for settling passengers’ claims from the 737 Max crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia at more than $1b. <br/>
Chinese and European aviation regulators are nearing a landmark deal that could make it easier for planes to be certified and sold in each other’s markets, according to people familiar with the matter. The CAAC and EASA are planning to sign the agreement as soon as May 20, the people said. The timing would follow a 2-day conference CAAC is hosting in Beijing this week with global regulators, manufacturers and carriers. CAAC's administrator confirmed there are plans for an agreement soon. The accord would come after years of talks and represent a major milestone for China at a time the FAA is reeling from criticism it certified Boeing Co.’s 737 Max despite design flaws. China has gained clout as an aviation regulator after it became the first major nation to ground the Max in the wake of the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines disaster. <br/>
Airbus CE Guillaume Faury Thursday expressed concerns that the grounding of the rival Boeing 737 MAX plane could dent passenger confidence and damage cooperation among international air safety regulators. “There are a number of negative impacts for the industry,” Faury said. Faury said that if passenger trust in aviation were weakened it would be negative for the entire industry. He also voiced concern about “tension” between aviation regulators in different jurisdictions. Faury played down the prospect of any immediate benefit to Airbus from Boeing’s woes. “We don’t see anything positive from the current situation,” he said. Airbus’s rival A320 planes are sold out through 2023, limiting its ability to provide any to MAX customers that may want to buy other planes. <br/>
A sudden strike by air-traffic controllers has closed Brussels airport. The industrial action by staff working for the air-navigation provider, Skeyes, began at 9.30am local time and will continue to 1pm. The airport in the Belgian capital has been closed. Many flights have been cancelled, and others heavily delayed. Brussels Airlines flights to Birmingham and Heathrow are among dozens of cancelled departures, along with the inbound services. Earlier this month hundreds of flights were cancelled due to a strike by French air-traffic controllers. A4E--based in Brussels--has called for minimum notice of industrial action, saying: “A4E supports a 72-hour individual notification requirement for controllers wishing to strike, to improve the predictability of disruption.” <br/>