The U.S. was one of the last to ground the Boeing 737 Max after a second deadly crash. To many, its delayed response reflects a broader weakness.
By Anthony Faiola Anthony Faiola Correspondent covering Latin America, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, human rights, poverty, globalization and economics Email Bio Follow March 14 at 1:46 PM The muddled response by U.S. regulators and the Trump administration to the safety risks of the Boeing 737 Max is raising fresh doubt about the international airworthiness not only of a jetliner — but also of American leadership.
After Sunday’s crash, the FAA defended the 737 Max until reversing course Wednesday, two days after China led a host of nations in grounding the jetliners. President Trump, meanwhile, fired off rambling tweets about newfangled planes before preempting his own regulators and announcing the U.S. decision to finally ground the aircraft based on new evidence that showed similarities between Sunday’s crash in Africa and that of another 737 Max crash in Indonesia last October.
For some, the events of this week harked back to the international distrust of American financial regulators that surfaced after a toxic meltdown on Wall Street sparked the global financial crisis a decade ago. Yet it also fueled further concern over what critics call the recklessness of a Trump era driven by edicts via Twitter, impromptu trade wars and the on-again, off-again detente with North Korea.
A top Chinese regulator said his agency made its decision because the FAA and Boeing had not provided China with satisfactory answers about the airplane’s software and safety issues after the first 737 Max crash — of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia that killed all 189 passengers and crew. And for days, they stuck to that, opting not to take action in the face of mounting pressure to do so. As recently as Tuesday morning, regulators in some nations in Europe issued statements standing by the U.S. decision to keep the 737 Max flying.
“Smart friends of mine have pointed out the reactions to 737 MAX might be inflection point for US hegemony,” tweeted Canadian scholar Stephen Saideman. “China says no to MAX, FAA says don’t worry, EU closes airspace. So much for US leadership.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Factbox: Boeing 737 MAX 8 groundings spread across the globeBritish authorities were the latest to ban or ground the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircra...
Read more »
Facebook apps down for some users across the globeFacebook apps down for some users across the globe, making it one of the longest outages the company has suffered in the recent past by Mekhla1996
Read more »
The best way to shrink the pay gap may be to pull back the curtain on employee salariesOne strategy to decrease the gender pay gap is requiring companies to publicly report salary information, new research suggests.
Read more »
Women in the WorldWomen-led farm challenges Pakistan's patriarchal society. See our InternationalWomensDay coverage:
Read more »
Instant view: China's February commodity imports fall across the boardChina's imports of major commodities fell across the board in February from...
Read more »
7 rare Chick-fil-A menu items that have earned a cult following across AmericaChick-fil-A has certain items that only appear on select menus across America, from cheese sauce to guacamole.
Read more »
At least five more tornadoes cause damage across South; two injuries reportedAuthorities were assessing storm damage after tornadoes were confirmed in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.
Read more »