Bloomberg is reporting on 16 October that the EASA is set to give the OK for the resumption of flights by the B737MAX. By doing so, the EASA is the first authority clearing the type for duty.

According to EASA-director Patrick Ky, the authority's analysis shows the aircraft is safe and reaches the safety threshold. "The safety level could be further improved, but this is not mandatory to get the plane back in the air". The EASA carried out several test-flights with the B737MAX in September as part of the recertification process.

The EASA expects to have all the paperwork finalized in November after which other regulatory bodies like the FAA have four weeks to respond to the findings. The FAA itself hasn't OK'd the type yet, but it's also expected they will do so in the coming month.

With that it seems the end is near of the grounding of the B737MAX-family, which has been in place in March 2019 after two MAXs crashed killing a total of 346 people.