Ethiopian Airlines said on Thursday its pilots had completed training on differences between the 737 Max and the earlier model, following media reports that the captain of its doomed flight was untrained on the Max simulator.
The carriers' pilots have completed the Boeing-recommended and US regulator-approved training in the differences between the 737 Max and its predecessor 737 NG, Ethiopian Airlines said on its official Twitter account.
The pilots were also briefed on the emergency airworthiness directive following the crash of Indonesia's Lion Air jet, which was "well-incorporated" in pilots training manuals and operational manuals.
"We urge all concerned to refrain from making such uninformed, incorrect, irresponsible and misleading statements during the period of accident investigation," Ethiopian Airlines said.
The statement came after The New York Times on Wednesday reported that while Ethiopian Airlines was one of the first carriers to install a simulator to teach pilots how to fly the new Boeing 737 Max 8, the captain of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 that crashed on March 10 had never trained on the Max simulator, citing people close to the airlines' operations.
It was unclear if the co-pilot on flight 302 had trained on the Max 8 simulator, the newspaper said. It was also unclear if the airline had used the simulator for refresher courses it requires pilots to take every six months, or only to train new pilots.
In its tweet, Ethiopian Air expressed "disappointment" in the "wrong reporting" by the newspaper.
Reuters on Thursday also reported that the captain did not practise on a new simulator for Boeing's 737 MAX 8 before he died in the crash with 157 others, citing a pilot colleague. Captain Yared Getachew, 29, was due for refresher training at the end of March, his colleague told Reuters, two months after Ethiopian Airlines had received one of the first such simulators being distributed.
The Ethiopian Air disaster, following the crash in Indonesia in October of the same Max 8 jet model, has put into motion a wide-ranging inquiry focused on the safety of a new automated system and whether pilots sufficiently understood it.
Even if both pilots on Ethiopian Air flight 302 had trained on the simulator, it is unclear if such preparation would have included maneuvers to deal with the kinds of problems they may have faced, the newspaper said.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The years Ramadan fell in May
