Boeing's mea culpa wins over operator of crashed Ethiopian jet

Boeing’s efforts to reassure airlines and passengers that its 737 Max jetliner will make a safe return to service won the support of Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, whose carrier suffered the fatal crash that led the plane’s grounding. Ethiopian has “more confidence” in the US manufacturer following its expressions of contrition and admission that it made a mistake in its handling of new systems introduced on the Max, Tewolde said Tuesday. He has met “very frequently” with Boeing managers at the expo, CEO Dennis Muilenburg among them. “They are more transparent and they are on the right track, doing the right things,” Tewolde said. “I think now that everything is in order. We are working together, so now we have more confidence. That’s good for global aviation.” His comments signaled improved relations between Boeing and Ethiopian, which had deteriorated after the March crash when the manufacturer questioned whether pilots on the flight had followed correct procedures. An official probe subsequently concluded that a new software system pushed the plane toward the ground when an erroneous sensor indicated that the jet was about to stall. A visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by Boeing’s commercial airplanes chief, Kevin McAllister, was also “helpful,” according to Tewolde. The executive had “wanted to share his condolences for the victims’ families and also for the airline. He came to show his solidarity with us.” Still, Ethiopian Airlines could be the last operator to return Max to service, reflecting the deep impact of the tragedy -- in which 157 people died -- on the airline and the wider community, Tewolde said. “It’s nothing else than because we had the accident,” he said. “We are not like the other airlines because we had the actual accident. It takes more to convince our pilots and passengers.”<br/>