After more than two years, New Zealand authorizes Boeing 737 MAX operations

The New Zealand aeronautical authority announced that more than two years after the suspension of operations, it authorized Fiji Airways to operate two of its five Boeing 737 MAXs.

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New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval means that the 737-8 aircraft will be re-added to Fiji Airways’ Foreign Air Operator Certificate. This is a CAA-issued certificate that foreign airlines must have before they can regularly fly to New Zealand.

The CAA imposed a condition on the airline in March 2019, preventing it from operating these aircraft on flights to New Zealand after serious aircraft safety issues were identified. Aviation regulators around the world established similar conditions at the time, effectively grounding the fleet around the world.

The agency’s deputy executive director, David Harrison, says the Authority has been working closely with the Fiji Civil Aviation Authority – which recertified the model on April 1 this year – to ensure the upgrades have been made to required for Fiji Airways 737 MAX aircraft.

«We have comprehensively and independently reviewed the work done by Fiji Airways to bring its 737 MAX aircraft back into service and we are confident that these aircraft can be safely returned to service,» said Harrison.

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“The date for these aircraft to be added to the flight schedules between New Zealand and Fiji has not yet been decided, given the evolution of the COVID-19 situation. But passengers can rest assured that no stone has been left unturned to ensure that all necessary safety improvements are in place so that when these aircraft return to the skies of New Zealand, they do so safely,» he concluded.

The CAA approval initially covers two of the five 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Fiji Airways. The remaining three aircraft will also be subject to CAA scrutiny before they are allowed to operate in New Zealand.