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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 26 March 2019

Ethiopian Airlines says pilots got appropriate training

By ELIAS MESERET Journal on Monday that
Associated Press it appeared that the anti-
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) stall software had been
— Ethiopian Airlines’ CEO activated on the Ethiopian
says the pilots who flew Airlines flight that crashed,
the plane that crashed on though it was still too early
March 10 had trained on to be sure.
“all appropriate simula- Ethiopian Airlines is widely
tors,” rejecting reports that seen as Africa’s best-man-
they had not been ade- aged airline. It had been
quately prepared to han- using five of the Max planes
dle the new aircraft. and was awaiting delivery
Tewolde Gebremariam of 25 more.
said in a statement Monday Boeing is updating the
that the airline owns simula- plane’s anti-stall software
tors to help pilots train on and has invited more than
the Boeing 737 Max, which 200 pilots, technical experts
has software installed that and regulators to its factory
requires new training. The in Renton, Washington, for
software can pitch the a briefing.
plane’s nose down in some The Federal Aviation Ad-
cases to keep it from stall- ministration expects Boe-
ing. Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, poses for a photograph after ing’s update this week.
There is speculation that speaking to The Associated Press at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Saturday, As part of the update,
the software could have March 23, 2019. Boeing said it is tweaking
contributed to the crash, Associated Press the anti-stall software. Af-
which killed 157 people, as nounced a deal to sell 300 jets, but the announce- pian Airlines owns and op- ter the update, the system
well as to the crash of an- planes to Chinese airlines, ment highlighted the peril erates a Boeing 737 Max will rely on data from more
other Boeing 737 Max, a which are also major op- Boeing faces in restoring simulator. than one sensor before it
Lion Air flight, in October. erators of the Max. The airline and passenger con- “Contrary to some me- automatically pushes the
Regulators say both planes deal — signed before Chi- fidence in its best-selling jet. dia reports, our pilots who plane’s nose lower. The
had similar erratic flight nese President Xi Jinping After the Lion Air crash off fly the new model were system won’t repeatedly
paths shortly after take-off, and French President Em- the coast of Indonesia, the trained on all appropriate push the nose down, and it
an important part of their manuel Macron — includes U.S. Federal Aviation Ad- simulators,” Gebremariam will reduce the magnitude
decision to ground the 290 Airbus A320 jets, which ministration and Boeing said. “The crews were well of the change. A Boeing
roughly 370 Max planes compete with the Boeing issued new training mate- trained on this aircraft.” spokesman on Monday
around the world. 737. The number that are rial for pilots. Questions lin- The CEO, however, had told said the company was con-
Boeing Co. is likely facing A320neo jets, the chief gered, however, whether The Associated Press this tinuing to determine the
heavy costs to update the competitor to the Boeing the required training was weekend that he thinks the cost of updating the flight-
flight-control software on Max, will be determined sufficient and whether air- warnings and extra training control software and relat-
the Max and compensate later, an Airbus spokes- lines like Ethiopian had ac- material from Boeing and ed changes. He declined
airlines that have lost use of woman said. cess to simulators to give U.S. regulators “might not to comment on whether
now-parked Max jets. China’s demand for airlin- pilots thorough experience have been enough.” the company would com-
Separately, Boeing’s Eu- ers is huge, and it could still handling the software. He said in a subsequent in- pensate airlines whose jets
ropean rival Airbus an- order plenty more Boeing Gebremariam said Ethio- terview to The Wall Street have been grounded.q