Garuda Indonesia Pilots Subject to Retraining before Operating Boeing 737 Max

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Garuda Indonesia pilots are required to go through a training class before they can reoperate the Boeing 737 Max.

CEO of Garuda Indonesia Irfan Setiaputra said that although the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted the ban on the aircraft, the Indonesian airline cannot simply proceed in reoperating it.

“To operate the aircraft, the Indonesian authorities must sign off on it.”

“Before flying the aircraft, there are several aspects which must be met including preparing the aircraft and retraining the pilots. It will take a long time to complete because the Garuda Indonesia pilots must undergo training and recertification before pressing ahead.”

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After 20 months of being grounded worldwide, the FAA lifted the ban on the Boeing 737 Max thus allowing the aircraft to take to the skies once again.

The approval to allow the aircraft back in the airspace took longer than many expected, however, once Boeing received the green light, the company’s stocks shot up 6 percent on November 18.

Nevertheless, airline operators are unsure how comfortable passengers will be in boarding the 737 Max after two fatal accidents.

“If passengers do not want to board the 737 Max then they won’t have to,” said an executive at American Airlines.

Moreover, the FAA said that changes must be made based on the results of the investigation for each of the 737 Max aircraft in addition to pilots receiving additional training.