RAM May Return Boeing 737 MAX 8 to Skies Despite Disastrous History

Rabat – Morocco’s flag carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is weighing the idea of returning the controversial Boeing 737 MAX 8 to service by July 2021, according to Le360.

Morocco World News contacted RAM’s Director of Communications Abdelhakim Challot about the MAX 8’s return to service but received no response.

RAM currently has two 737 MAX 8’s in its fleet and the aircraft was initially set to operate between Casablanca (CMN) and Accra, Bologna, Lagos, London Heathrow, and Paris.

After the initial reception of the new MAX 8 aircraft in December 2018, RAM’s CEO Abdelhamid Addou said, “These new 737 airplanes expand our medium-haul portfolio, which forms the backbone of Royal Air Maroc’s fleet.”

However, after two deadly crashes between October 2018 and March 2019, RAM and the rest of the world’s airlines grounded the MAX series aircraft immediately.

Both crashes were the result of a catastrophic Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) system error. As the aircraft’s angle-of-attack sensor registered that the plane was ascending at a dangerous angle and would stall, the MCAS plunged the nose of the aircraft downward to prevent a stall.

Pilots are essentially helpless in the situation and both crashes forced Boeing to publicly admit that the aircraft was flawed.

RAM has stated that the MAX 8 pilots have been trained on the technical changes made to the aircraft. Boeing added another angle-of-attack sensor for redundancy and the aircraft manufacturer is confident in the aircrafts’ airworthiness.

Despite the confidence of Boeing’s upper echelons of management, the US’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called on certain airlines in the US to ground the 737 MAX 8 in April 2021 due to a new electrical issue.

The FAA cleared the MAX 8 for its return to service in November 2020 and many US airlines returned the 737 MAX 8 to service in March 2021. International aviation regulatory agencies such as ANAC (Brazil), CAA (UK), EASA (Europe), and the TCCA (Canada) followed the decision shortly thereafter.

RAM initially ordered four MAX 8 aircraft as it intended to replace its fleet of outdated 737-700 aircraft.

For now, RAM has continued to use the 737-700 and 737-800 in the place of the MAX 8.

The MAX 8 aircraft was a promising alternative due to its low fuel consumption and longer total maximum range of travel.