Europe sets in motion January end to Boeing 737 MAX safety ban

European regulators on Tuesday began the timetable for a return of the Boeing 737 MAX to Europe’s skies early next year after an almost two-year flight ban caused by fatal crashes. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) set out conditions for putting the grounded jets back into service, including new training and updating MCAS software implicated in the crashes that killed a total of 346 people in 2018 and 2019. Tuesday’s publication marks the start of a 28-day comment period, which EASA said would lead to a formal ungrounding from mid-January, once public and industry feedback had been studied. How long it takes for flights to resume in Europe depends on pilot training and the amount of time airlines need to upgrade MCAS software and carry out other actions mandated by EASA. US flights are due to resume on Dec. 29, some six weeks after Boeing’s main regulator, the US FAA, lifted its own ban on Nov. 18.<br/>