Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
That's not how I read it.
Ky says that the earliest the Max grounding could be lifted is January and that that's dependent on decisions to be made that month following the December flight tests. As timeframes go, that's a pretty woolly one. He also states that, while there might be a couple of weeks divergence, there won't be any significant difference between EASA's and the FAA's return-to-service dates.
That's not how I read it. He expressly said: ..."we are not talking about six months; we are talking about a delay which, if it happens, will be due mostly to process or administrative technicalities."
To me it sounds like EASA (or at least Ky himself) have already decided to lift the ban even before the test flights. (
Decided before the flights, not lift before the flights.) The very fact that he talks about timeframes is very strange, to say the least. While everyone, including the "domestic supporter" FAA, talks about serious unresolved issues, EASA suddenly starts talking about lifting the ban some time in the near future. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but he should certainly issue a clarification about what he said vs. what he meant to say.