Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International) is unsure whether it will resume B737-8 operations even once the type is cleared for reactivation by the relevant aviation authorities, CEO Tewolde GebreMariam told NBC News.
"It may if we are fully convinced and if we are able to convince our pilots, if we are ever to convince our travelling public," GebreMariam said.
The fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airlines B737 MAX 8 on March 10, 2019, directly prompted aviation authorities and airlines around the world to ground the type pending the redesign of the MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) software, which is believed to have led to the accident.
The Ethiopian flag carrier still has four grounded MAX 8s and a further twenty-five units on order from Boeing. The airline's narrowbody fleet also includes four B737-700s and fifteen B737-800s.
