[Source: Reuters]

It has been called “the most scrutinised transport aircraft in history”, but some critics believe Boeing’s 737 Max is still not safe.

It was cleared to fly passengers again by US regulators last year, having been grounded following two catastrophic accidents.

Since then, however, a number of potentially serious problems have been reported during 737 Max flights.

Boeing insists the aircraft is both safe and reliable.

On 14 October, a 737 Max took off from Boeing Field airport in Seattle, bound for Brussels. It was a delivery flight, taking the brand-new plane to start work for its owners, the travel group Tui.

But minutes into the 5,000-mile journey, the pilots reported an urgent “flight control problem” and had to turn back. The aircraft landed safely shortly afterwards.

The issue, linked to the autopilot, was rectified relatively quickly. The plane set off for Brussels again the following day, and has been flying regularly since then.

However, this was not an isolated incident.