(Bloomberg) --

Europe’s aviation safety regulator will probably approve the return of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max in January after studies and test flights showed the U.S. planemaker has fixed the faults that caused fatal crashes.

“All these studies show us that the plane can return to service,” Patrick Ky, head of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, said Saturday in an interview with LaTribune.fr. “It’s likely that, in our case, we’ll adopt the decisions that will allow us to put it back in service in the course of January.”

EU approval will mark a milestone in Boeing’s effort to return the Max to service outside the U.S., after the Federal Aviation Administration granted final clearance for the jet’s return this week.

The green light from EASA, which sought additional safety measures beyond what the FAA required, would allow Boeing to begin delivering already-built planes again in a region with major customers including Ryanair Holdings Plc.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.