A SilkAir Boeing 737 Max 8 has arrived in Alice Springs, Australia where it will be placed in storage, pending the type’s eventual return to service.
The aircraft, 9V-MBA, arrived during the morning of Monday 30 September, according to an industry source. It, along with SilkAir’s other five 737 Max 8s, has been in storage at Changi Airport since March following a global grounding after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.
Last week, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), cleared SilkAir to move the jets to Australia.
In the notice, CASA states that the aircraft can only be operated on an “authorised flight” — for “non-commercial” purposes such as for flight testing, storage, maintenance or repairs. In addition, the aircraft need to turn off their manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), the software implicated in the two crashes.
The Boeing 737 Max is the subject of an ongoing worldwide grounding following the 10 March crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 and the October 2018 crash of a Lion Air aircraft of the same type.
Boeing is working to get the aircraft re-certified. Last week, FlightGlobal learned that Boeing aims to deliver up to 70 737 Max aircraft monthly to clear its backlog once the grounding is lifted.
Cirium fleets data shows that 9V-MBA was delivered on 27 September 2017. It has spent 28% of its lifetime in storage.
In addition to the six 737 Max 8s in its fleet, SilkAir has 31 on order.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
