IATA chief "worried" by divergence of global regulators on the Boeing 737 MAX

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The head of the international airline lobby, IATA, warned on Tuesday that a divergence among global regulators over the re-approval of Boeing Co's shares (PROHIBIT) 737 MAX for commercial flights could be a worrying precedent for future aeronautical programs.

The MAX, Boeing's latest single-aisle aircraft, was immobilized around the world in March after two lethal collisions in Indonesia and Ethiopia in five months. Boeing is updating the flight control software at the center of both accidents, which must be approved by the regulators before the aircraft can fly commercially again.

Normally, the US Federal Aviation Administration has taken the initiative to certify Boeing aircraft and other aviation regulators around the world, a process supported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) .

But global regulators have indicated that they will continue their own analysis of the 737 MAX and Boeing's proposed updates, rather than just following the FAA, which suffered from credibility following both accidents.

"With the 737 MAX, we are a little worried … because we do not see the normal unanimity among international regulators that should be the case," said Alexandre de Juniac, chief executive of the company. IATA, to reporters before a summit in Chicago.

"We are seeing a detrimental divergence in the industry," he said, adding that if regulators wanted to change the process, he urged them to do so "collectively".

IATA, based in Montreal, hosted two 737 MAX summits, which included international airlines, Boeing, the FAA and other regulators.