In March 2019, the flight 302 to Nairobi had crushed in a field in the south-east of Addis Ababa because of defective software.
Le Monde with AFP
Ethiopian Airlines must resume flights with the Boeing 737 max on Tuesday 1 September; A first from the crash that had caused the death of 157 people, almost three years ago, and resulted in the ground immobilization of this plane around the world.
In March 2019, the flight 302 to Nairobi, operated by the Ethiopian national company, crushed in a field southeast of Addis Ababa, six minutes after taking off, because of a Defective software. The accident triggered the worst crisis in the history of the American aircraftor, following a few months another accident, that of a lion aircraft in Indonesia in October 2018 (189 dead). Ethiopian Airlines, the economic jewel of the second most populous country in Africa, had long repeated that it would be the last airline to resume flights with this aircraft.
In a statement sent to the AFP, the carrier stated that this decision occurred after a “deep recertification” by the regulators of the United States, the European Union, China and Ethiopia. Ethiopian Airlines, which had four 737 max at the time of the crash, provided a list of 35 other companies that currently use this plane. “Our pilots, engineers, aircraft technicians and crews are fully prepared to do again the B737 max and we look forward to welcoming you on board,” says the company.
Trauma
The fact of waiting so long is “really commendable”, told AFP Yeshiwas Fentahun, who presided over a pilot association in 2019, but left from the carrier. The death of the crew, who counted the youngest pilot of the company, Yared Getachew, was a trauma for all employees, “he recalls:” Some pilots were very close to the people who died in the accident and It is very difficult to know if everyone has moved to something else. But I think it’s a decent time for most of us to turn the page of this experience. “
The victims of the flight Crash 302, the worst of the history of Ethiopia, were originating in more than 30 countries. Boeing has agreed with their families and recognized his responsibility in the accident, according to legal documents filed in November with a Chicago court, where his seat is located. The documents do not mention sums, but the families of the victims will be able to take steps to obtain compensation in the US courts.