Boeing Updates Guidance on 737 Max, Jet May Fly Again in January

A grounded United Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet

Saying it is  “confident the MAX will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly,” Boeing indicated Monday that it hopes to begin deliveries of 737 Max aircraft to airlines before the end of 2019 even if the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t at that point approved new pilot training procedures, adding it expects a return to commercial service for the 737 in January.

The company identified five “key milestones” that it said must be completed before the Federal Aviation Administration would lift the grounding order for the 737 Max.

Boeing said that it had completed the first milestone, a simulator evaluation with the FAA to ensure the software system performs its intended function.  The next two milestones concern an FAA pilots and crew workload evaluation and an FAA certification flight test.

“Boeing’s priority remains the safe return to service of the Max and supporting our airline customers through this challenging time,” the company said in a statement.

The FAA grounded the 737 Max after the second of two fatal hull losses, an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March and last year’s Lion Air crash.

Three U.S. airlines – American, Southwest, and United – operate the 737 Max and have had to cancel thousands of flights since the grounding as a result.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)