ANAC suspends operations with Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft in Brazil

The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) published on Wednesday (13) the suspension of operations with Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft in Brazil. The Airworthiness Directive, which must be complied with immediately, will be adopted even by companies that have voluntarily suspended their operations, such as Gol Linhas Aéreas. After the accident with the aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines, ANAC maintained contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft manufacturer and the companies that operate the model in Brazil, as well as closely following the accident investigations, which have motivated the decision.

ANAC clarifies that the company Gol Linhas Aéreas - the only one to use this model in Brazil - had already suspended operations with the Boeing 737-8 MAX on March 11th.

Before start operating in Brazil, every new model of foreign aircraft is evaluated by the ANAC team of specialists. In the evaluation of this model, published in January 2018, ANAC identified differences between the Boeing 737 family models and requested training of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) for the operation of the 737-8 MAX model. Evidence of training was required for the start of operations with the aircraft in the country.